In a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to the mediation efforts of the EU in the South Caucasus, stating that the European Union is openly abusing its relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"As for the statements coming from Brussels, we cannot comment on them in detail. We see how the European Union is openly abusing its relations with Armenia, and Azerbaijan, including by promoting its so-called mission in the territory of Armenia, which raises serious doubts from the point of view of legitimacy, which raises many questions, including its functions, mandate, duration, as well as also from the point of view of the added value of that mission in efforts to regulate Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. However, it is the sovereign choice of the parties with whom to cooperate and with whom not," Lavrov said.

He added that Russia is guided in its actions by the following principle - to do no harm and to support such a solution, which would first be based on the agreements of the three leaders and secondly, which would ensure mutually beneficial, mutually respectful cooperation between all the countries of the region.