Maria Zakharova: "There are such people in Armenia too”

Zakharova said this during December 15 briefing in Moscow, commenting on the appointment of a Turkish colonel general as an adviser to the president of Azerbaijan and answering the question on why in some cases NATO’s penetration into the post-Soviet territory is perceived by Russia as a threat, and in some cases Moscow prefers to turn a blind eye on it.

“I will not agree with you. I see advisers with citizenship of other countries, not only in Azerbaijan. There are such in the countries neighboring Azerbaijan and Russia. There are such people in Armenia too. I am not talking about similar positions, but people with different citizenships carry out consultations and act as advisers,” Zakharova said.

“Each country has the sovereign right to develop military and military-technical cooperation with its partners. At the same time, we proceed from the premise that it should not be directed against third countries and should not disrupt the existing balance of power in the South Caucasus. We regularly convey these theses to our partners in the region,” Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.

Zakharova said this during December 15 briefing in Moscow, commenting on the appointment of a Turkish colonel general as an adviser to the president of Azerbaijan and answering the question on why in some cases NATO’s penetration into the post-Soviet territory is perceived by Russia as a threat, and in some cases Moscow prefers to turn a blind eye on it.

“I will not agree with you. I see advisers with citizenship of other countries, not only in Azerbaijan. There are such in the countries neighboring Azerbaijan and Russia. There are such people in Armenia too. I am not talking about similar positions, but people with different citizenships carry out consultations and act as advisers,” Zakharova said.

“Each country has the sovereign right to develop military and military-technical cooperation with its partners. At the same time, we proceed from the premise that it should not be directed against third countries and should not disrupt the existing balance of power in the South Caucasus. We regularly convey these theses to our partners in the region,” Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.