Zakharova responded to the protest note that the Armenian Foreign Ministry handed to the Russian Ambassador

The overly emotional reaction to the journalist's statements about the Zangezur corridor on Russian television is puzzling, since Moscow's official position is well known to Yerevan. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, commenting on the reaction of the Armenian Foreign Ministry to the statements of journalist Dmitry Kiselyov.

"This reaction is puzzling, because we are talking about the statements of a journalist. We have always heard from Yerevan that Armenia is committed to freedom of speech, and especially the current Armenian leadership has made it its imperative. Firstly, and secondly, our official position - not the point of view, but the official position of the state - is well known to Yerevan, we have repeatedly voiced its essence," Zakharova said.

She stressed that the Russian side consistently supports the comprehensive unblocking of all transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus on the basis of trilateral agreements at the highest level.

"First of all, we are talking about the statement of the leaders of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021. Everything is very clearly marked there: all economic and transport links in the region are being unblocked; the Republic of Armenia guarantees the safety of transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic in order to organize unhindered movement of citizens, vehicles, cargo in both directions; control over transport links is carried out by the Border Guard Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation; by agreement of the parties, The construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan has been ensured," Zakharova said.

The trilateral working group has never discussed the creation of any extraterritorial corridors in Armenia. On the contrary, it was agreed that the countries have sovereignty and jurisdiction over the routes passing through their territory, she noted.

"Due to the destructive influence of Westerners on the decisions of the Armenian side, the work of the trilateral working group has stalled," the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

She expressed confidence that the soonest resumption of full-fledged interaction in the group will contribute directly to the restoration of the transport and communication system of the South Caucasus, but will also ensure further socio-economic development of the entire region and confirmed Moscow's readiness "to provide much-needed assistance to Azerbaijani and Armenian partners in resolving this issue."

As EADaily reported, on January 15, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the republic's Foreign Ministry. The diplomat was handed a note of protest.

In connection with the release of the Vesti of the Week program on the All-Russian State TV Channel of the Russian Federation on January 12, "during which artificially generated narratives directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia were voiced, the ambassador was summoned to the Armenian Foreign Ministry on January 15," the ministry said.

In this broadcast, presenter Dmitry Kiselyov commented on the dispute between Baku and Yerevan about the Zangezur corridor, as well as Armenia's desire for the European Union. The economic advantages that Armenia receives as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union were also mentioned. There was also a statement by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk that membership in the EAEU and EU incompatible.