US needs Azerbaijan's approval to send mission to Karabakh: Kremlin

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the US has to get prior approval from Azerbaijan to send a mission to the Karabakh region.

Commenting on the US proposal to establish a human rights monitoring mission in Karabakh, Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow that "any mission (on Karabakh's territory) may exist only with the consent of the Azerbaijani side."

As for Russia, it continues contacts with all sides, including the Armenian population of Karabakh, he said.

The spokesman noted that the level of Russian and US involvement in the processes taking place in Karabakh cannot be compared.

"You know the role played by our peacekeepers in accordance with the existing mandate, we intend to continue," he declared.

When asked about media reports, claiming that US President Joe Biden has sent a letter to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan inviting him to strengthen security and energy cooperation, Peskov said "Hardly anything can be compared with the depth of integration that Armenia has with the Russian economy."

About a visit by Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to Armenia on Monday, the official said it was carried out in accordance with the schedule of international contacts drafted and approved long ago.

"This is a planned visit, it is perfectly normal that it took place and it is perfectly normal that the interior minister, carrying out a planned visit, touches on topical current issues," he emphasized.

Kolokoltsev arrived in Yerevan on Sept. 25 to attend a meeting of the Armenian Interior Ministry Board. During his visit, he met and talked with the prime minister.

- Western arms deliveries to Ukraine

Turning to the deliveries of advanced Western weapons to Ukraine, the Kremlin spokesman said "there are no weapons capable of changing the balance of forces in the zone of the special military operation."

He called the US Abrams tanks and ATACMS missiles "very serious weapons," noting that the Russian armed forces are improving their technical skills and capabilities as the West increases arms supplies to Kyiv.

"These missiles are serious weapons. Americans continue to increase their direct involvement in this conflict. But, of course, every time our military improves their skills and technical capabilities to counter these missiles," Peskov said, commenting on reports that the US may announce its decision to provide Ukraine with ATACMS tactical missiles with a cluster warhead this week.

The Abrams tanks, he claimed, "will burn" like the rest of other weapons.

According to Peskov, the Russian military has neutralized the majority of Ukrainian drones, attempting attacks in Russia, and measures are being taken to minimize the threat they pose.

"We see that this practice of drone strikes against civilian infrastructure facilities continues. ... Measures are being taken to minimize these attacks," he said.

- Putin's international contacts

The Kremlin spokesman confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with his Belarusian counterpart Aleksandr Lukashenko in Kyrgyzstan on Oct.15.

The dates of Putin's trip to China have been set, but the Kremlin has yet to announce them, he said.

The preparations for Putin's trip to North Korea continue as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plans to visit the country in October, he said.

On Sept. 20, at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Putin said that he was pleased to accept Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum in China in October.

On Sept. 23, Lavrov said at a news conference in New York that he may visit the Democratic People's Republic Korea (DPRK) next month.