Russian, Armenian FMs Discuss Ukraine Crisis, Armenia-Turkey Normalization

YEREVAN — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan discussed Russia’s continuing standoff with the West over Ukraine in a phone call on Tuesday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two men engaged in a “detailed exchange of views” regarding “ongoing negotiations on security guarantees” demanded by Moscow from the United States and other Western powers.

“The importance of consistently upholding the principles of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic region was emphasized,” read a statement released by the ministry.

The official Armenian readout of Mirzoyan’s call with Lavrov said they discussed the implementation of Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by Moscow and Armenia’s normalization talks with Turkey.

The interlocutors attached importance to the steps taken to increase the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and the formation of mechanisms on demarcation and demarcation issues.

During the telephone conversation, the Armenian and Russian Foreign Ministers referred to the cooperation in bilateral, multilateral platforms, as well as to the issues of regional and international agenda.

They exchanged views on the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it is “closely monitoring developments in Ukraine.” It also indicated that Yerevan is not planning to evacuate Armenian diplomatic missions there.