Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh is to be decided by countries directly involved in the process.

Zakharova's comments came in response to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement on the Karabakh conflict which she made during her recent visit to Yerevan.

In Armenia, Merkel said Germany was ready to assume responsibility for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. “It is necessary to resolve this conflict in a good atmosphere and Germany is ready to support Armenia in this matter, " Merkel said.

Zakharova said everything should be done with an understanding of the effectiveness of the existing formats.