The Kremlin is concerned about rising tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Kremlin is concerned about the growing tension in some areas in Nagorno-Karabakh, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

“Of course, we are concerned that tensions do not subside and even tend to increase in some areas. Despite everything, Russia remains a reliable guarantor of security. We continue our contacts with both Yerevan and Baku,” Peskov explained.

The Kremlin called on both sides to show restraint and act in the spirit of the signed trilateral documents. At the same time, according to the president’s press secretary, new realities must be taken into account.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated in September 2020. The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a tripartite statement, after which military operations ceased in the conflict zone, and Russian peacekeepers were stationed along the contact line and in the Lachin corridor. On April 23, 2023, the Azerbaijani border service established a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, on the only road connecting the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) with Armenia. Yerevan named This is unacceptable, he called on Russia to eliminate the blockade.

On September 3, Prime Minister of Armenia Pashinyan in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica statedthat Russia is moving away from the South Caucasus, and Russian peacekeepers have ceased to control the Lachin corridor. The Kremlin did not agree with this thesis, emphasizing that the Russian Federation is an integral part of the region. September 13 Pashinyan in an interview with Politico statedthat Armenia can no longer rely on Moscow as a security guarantor.