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A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official said that Moscow seeks “stability and prosperity” in the region and is ready to provide a platform for Armenia and Azerbaijan to formalize the initialed peace treaty.
Mikhail Kalugin, director of the 4th CIS Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Russia’s fundamental interest in the Caucasus is peace and development. Moscow wants stability and prosperity in the region in order to cooperate with the countries there, unlock the region’s potential, and strengthen good-neighborly relations, he said, according to RIA Novosti.
“Russia’s interests in the South Caucasus are unwavering. Our main concern there is to maintain a zone of stability and prosperity so that we can cooperate with the countries of the region, unlock its potential, and strengthen good-neighborly relations. Russia’s fundamental interest in the Caucasus is peace and development, preventing it from descending into chaos,” the Russian official added.
Kalugin said that Russia is not merely a neighboring country for the South Caucasus, but a Caucasian power itself.
“We are united with the peoples on the southern side of the Caucasus mountain range by centuries of friendship, shared glorious chapters of history, civilizational affinity, and millions of familial and kinship ties. For a long time, we lived as part of a single state. At one time, closer ties with Russia allowed the peoples of the region to preserve their identity. The formation of the state foundations of the South Caucasus republics took place during the Soviet era,” Kalugin said.
He added that the “unique relations” between Russia and the countries of the Caucasus are not affected by time or external pressure, and that events in the region have always had a direct impact on Russia’s foreign and domestic security interests as well as its economy.
Commenting on the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian diplomat said: “Today, Baku and Yerevan are conducting mainly direct dialogue without mediators. The foreign ministers of the two republics have initialed the text of an agreement on establishing peace and interstate relations. Considering the contribution of the Russian side, and personally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to the process of normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, we would be pleased to host our partners on our platform for the signing of the final document.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement during a U.S.-brokered summit in Washington, D.C., on August 8, 2025. Lauding the establishment of peace, Armenia has expressed its readiness to formalize the treaty as soon as possible.