Russia Considers Armenia's Opinion Over Azerbaijan's When Appointing Commanders; The Appointment of Kosobokov Angers Azerbaijanis

Opposition journalist Afghan Mukhtarli has expressed dissatisfaction on his Facebook page regarding the appointment of a new Russian peacekeeping commander in Artsakh.

“A new commander of the Russian base in Nagorno-Karabakh has been appointed, Major General Mikhail Kosobokov. He previously worked in Georgian Abkhazia for 'establishing peace' at the time when Russia recognized the independence of the breakaway Abkhaz regime. Kosobokov has already met with the Armenian Minister of Defense. Although his base is located in Azerbaijan, he initially preferred to meet with the Armenian minister. I believe that one day he may meet with Zakir Hasanov as well. It seems that Russia, when appointing commanders, takes into account not Azerbaijan's, but Armenia's opinion,” Mukhtarli wrote.