Pashinyan rules out the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in Armenia

The Russian peacekeeping contingent, in the event of withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh, should return to Russia and not enter Armenia. Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan stated this in an interview with the Public TV Channel.

“These are peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh. If they leave, they must return to Russia,” he answered a question about the possibility of deploying peacekeepers in Armenia (quote according to TASS).

Earlier on October 10, official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova notedthat the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh will be adapted to new conditions. The Russian military has already dismantled several permanent and temporary observation posts in connection with disarmament and the movement of guard posts further from the contact line.

Russian peacekeepers are in the region in accordance with a trilateral agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, signed in November 2020. According to the document, they are stationed along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor to monitor compliance with the ceasefire. The duration of their stay in the region is five years from the date of signing the agreement, with subsequent extension for the same period, unless either party waives this provision.

On September 19-20, Azerbaijan carried out “anti-terrorist measures” in Nagorno-Karabakh. On September 28, the president of the unrecognized republic, Samvel Shahramanyan, signed a decree on the termination of its existence from January 1, 2024 and the dissolution of all government institutions and organizations.

At the end of September, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the future fate of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, statedthat this issue will be discussed with Azerbaijan.