Russia's RIA Novosti agency has deleted an interview with Artak Beglaryan, a Karabakh separatist from its website, APA's Moscow correspondent reports.

The interview has already been removed from the site.

Notably, such a step by RIA Novosti caused the dissatisfaction of the public and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Azerbaijan.

Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva has noted that dissemination by the Russian state news agency of information, which contradicts the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, promotes defamatory and separatist tendencies, does not correspond to the spirit of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, and thus is deeply regrettable.

"This step of the State Agency is contrary to the provisions of the Agreement on Friendship, Security and Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation of 1997 and the Declaration on Allied Cooperation of 2022 “to refrain from any activity directed against the principles of the UN Charter and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other”, and also “counter the threats of separatism”.

The circulation of these provocative statements by “RIA-Novosti” also overshadows the Russian Federation's efforts to establish peace in the region in the post-conflict phase," noted in the statement of L. Abdullayeva.

Azerbaijan blocked access to the website of RIA Novosti following the publication of an interview with the separatist.

https://apa.az/en/foreign-policy/ria-novosti-deletes-interview-causing-azerbaijans-protest-378171