Yerevan /Mediamax/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova todayhas stated that in the November 18 interview, the Russian President used the term "informal armed groups” to refer to the individuals brought by Turkey to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

“He meant the armed groups, whose status and activities do not meet international legal requirements,” Zakharova said, noting that the militants involved in the conflict, according to international legal qualifications, are considered mercenaries.

These individuals were recruited abroad to take part in the armed conflict, were in fact directly involved in hostilities, and were interested in high-paying salaries, which, according to open sources, amounted to up to USD 2,000. Maria Zakharova has stressed that these mercenaries were not citizens or permanent residents of any of the conflicting countries.

“As mercenaries cannot be considered legitimate participants in the armed conflict, the use of the term “informal armed groups” by the Russian President was fully grounded,” Zakharova said.

Touching on the cooperation between Russia and Turkey in the region, Zakharova has noted that they work in different directions - military, political, diplomatic. She has also recalled the Russian President’s earlier statement that “Russia’s views are different to those of Turkey, sometimes the approaches do not coincide, but they two countries looking for common points where cooperation can be useful not only in the context of bilateral relations but also regional stability.”