The blocking of the entrance to the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan is a violation of the joint statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and entails an increase in tension, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. RIA Novosti informs.

“In connection with the blocking of the entrance to the Lachin corridor by the Azerbaijani side, we draw attention to the fact that such actions are a violation of the provisions of the Statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated 9 November, 2020. Such steps lead to escalation of tension, do not contribute to maintaining a normal atmosphere around the ongoing process normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia with Russian assistance,” Zakharova said, commenting on the situation around the Lachin corridor.

The text of the commentary is published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Zakharova also expressed hope that Yerevan “won’t stay away from interaction in trilateral formats,” as idle time in their activities negatively affects the situation in the region and leads to escalation.

She added that Russia calls on Baku to completely unblock traffic along the Lachin corridor, and also emphasizes the importance of strict adherence to trilateral agreements.