Caucasus (bbabo.net), - Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov confirmed the beginning of the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier this was reported by Armenian and Azerbaijani media.
“Yes, that’s true,” Peskov responded during a press call. He did not provide any additional information.
Earlier, Armenian media, citing diplomatic sources, reported the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh through Dagestan. It was noted that it is being carried out in stages.
Russian peacekeepers are in Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of a trilateral agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, signed on November 10, 2020. According to the agreements, peacekeepers were to be deployed in the region until 2025.
The contingent was deployed along the demarcation line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor connecting the region with Armenia. The contingent includes 1,960 military personnel equipped with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 units of automobile and special equipment.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has officially ceased to exist since the beginning of 2024. The decision was made in the fall by the leadership of the unrecognized republic against the backdrop of an escalation of the conflict with Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized the actions of Russian peacekeepers.
The Azerbaijani government previously announced that it intends to involve Russian peacekeepers in mine clearance operations in Karabakh. Russian sappers were accredited.
Meanwhile, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev answered Azertaj’s question regarding the widespread information about the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the country’s territory:
“The top leadership of both countries made a decision on the early withdrawal from the territory of our country of peacekeepers of the Russian Federation temporarily stationed on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the basis of the Tripartite Declaration dated November 10, 2020. The process has already begun, the Ministries of Defense of Azerbaijan and Russia are taking measures to implement this decision.”
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