Issues in South Caucasus should be resolved by regional countries – Lavrov

The issues arising in the South Caucasus should be solved, first and foremost, by the countries of the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference in Yerevan following talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

According to him, during the discussion of regional and international issues, special attention was paid to the situation in the South Caucasus.

“We firmly believe that the issues arising here should primarily be resolved by the states of the region. We do not oppose the participation of extra-regional countries, as it is stipulated by international practice, but on condition that their actions are not aimed at creating tension or disregarding the interests of local states for the benefit of geopolitical games, which have never yielded positive results anywhere,” Lavrov emphasized.

Speaking about the purchase of arms from other countries, the Russian Foreign Minister emphasized that Armenia itself decides where it is better to buy weapons, from Russia or France.
“In the political sense, of course, France acts as a hostile country, so it is up to our allies to decide where it is better to buy weapons,” he noted.