Russian Foreign Ministry: Western countries are silent about the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge

The correspondent of our publication recalled that more than a month had passed since President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, receiving the foreign ministers of the CSTO member states in Minsk, spoke about the need to "resolve crises in the organization zone," referring to relations between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Minister Lavrov spoke on the same topic, pointing to attempts by the United States and the EU to penetrate the region and squeeze Moscow. In particular, in its own way to resolve the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh.

"What is the situation today in these two directions?" - the question was asked.

The diplomat noted that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are strategic allies of Russia, in this regard, the Russian Federation is interested in extending constructive interaction, overcoming disagreements and preventing friction with the CSTO allies in order to maintain stability in the Central Asian region.

The Russian Federation welcomes the desire of friendly countries to resolve contradictions in the field of border delimitation, exclusively by political and diplomatic means. The Russian Foreign Ministry knows that negotiations between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on the border are ongoing. Partners are ready to find a solution to the problem in a bilateral format without the participation of intermediaries. The Russian Federation is ready to assist the two parties, taking into account the agreements reached at the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on October 13, 2022 in Astana. If appeals come from Dushanbe or Bishkek, the Russian Federation is ready to become an intermediary.

As for the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia constantly covers the efforts previously achieved by all parties to the conflict at the trilateral level. There are also full-length estimates of the current moment. Nagorno-Karabakh is not included in the area of ​ ​ responsibility in the CSTO. But the mission of the organization, deployed in Armenia, made a significant contribution to the stabilization of the situation on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"The ball is on the Armenian side," the diplomat summed up.

The second question touched upon the recent terrorist act on the Crimean bridge.

"Did diplomatic representatives of Western countries express condolences to the families and friends of the victims? Or regrets about what happened? And how did other countries react to this situation through diplomatic channels? "The journalist asked.

Maria Zakharova noted that she had not seen anything like it. Foreign Ministry experts said that there were no public reactions, including through diplomatic channels. This characterizes the West. A similar question should be asked to the embassies of Western states.

Finally, the final issue touched on the topic of the grain deal. Russia quite positively assessed the participation of UN employees in attempts to preserve the "grain deal."

"Can you tell us more about what exactly was done in this regard through the UN? Were there attempts to coordinate the search for a solution between representatives of Russia and Turkey? What position does Ankara take today, when Russia's withdrawal from this initiative has already been announced? "The journalist asked.

Maria Zakharova noted that Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin is a participant in negotiations with the UN, he is ready to share his impressions and assessments from interaction with representatives of the organization based on personal experience. He will give a press conference on Friday, July 21. His answers should be "informational to satisfy" the media.