BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed information about high-level talks held in Istanbul involving officials from the US, the EU, and Russia in connection with the situation in Karabakh.

Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed during a briefing in Moscow that representatives from the United States, the European Union, and Russia held a meeting in Istanbul regarding Karabakh before the implementation of anti-terror measures in the region.

According to media reports, Senior Advisor to the U.S. State Department for Caucasus negotiations, Louis Bono, Toivo Klaar, EU Representative for the region, and Igor Khovaev, the Special Envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry participated in the meeting.

Zakharova noted that the US and the EU initiated the meeting. "The purpose of the meeting was outlined during the negotiations. The parties exchanged their viewpoints on the situation," she said, adding that the meeting was not confidential, and that "it was a routine exchange of views".

She also emphasized that if Western media now portrays this story as a provocation, then that may have been the intended goal.

Will be updated