Russia Sends Peacekeepers Amid Extreme Crisis for Armenia

The U.S. Special Representative for Conflict Resolution in Eurasia, Kerry Kavanon, has informed the RIA Novosti agency that under Russian mediation, the agreement around Nagorno-Karabakh includes many provisions crafted within the framework of the Minsk Group and goes beyond the parameters of a ceasefire, laying the groundwork for a potential resolution of the conflict.

“This is not a humanitarian ceasefire or a cessation of hostilities that Lavrov and Putin, as well as Putin and Macron, Pompeo, who discussed this issue during the visit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers to the U.S., worked towards previously. This goes further. This is a ceasefire regime with essential elements for peaceful resolution. Those elements have actually been discussed in the Minsk Group over the last 20 years,” said Kavanon.

According to the official, politically, Russia has not deviated from the positions that were supported by the other co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group — France and the U.S. “The only thing that differs throughout this period is the deployment of Russian peacekeepers,” Kavanon stated. He also expressed the view that Russia initially had doubts about whether Russian peacekeepers would be sent to the region but took that step when an extremely severe situation arose for Armenia.