Peskov on Pashinyan's Statement Regarding Peacekeepers

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has addressed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement made during today's Cabinet meeting, which highlighted that ongoing events and previous occurrences in Artsakh are raising systemic questions regarding the activities of Russian peacekeepers.

In response, Peskov stated that the Russian Federation's close contacts with Armenia at various levels will allow for the clarification of issues that Yerevan has regarding the work of Russian peacekeepers. “There are trilateral documents that are the main reference points. The main thing is that all the obligations that the parties have undertaken within the framework of these documents are fulfilled. If there are questions, of course, they must be answered. At the same time, the close contacts we have at various levels with the Armenian side will clarify the existing issues,” Peskov said in response to a question from TASS.

Below is Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement regarding the activities of peacekeepers in Artsakh:

“The ongoing events and a number of previous occurrences are raising systemic questions. I have repeatedly stated that the presence and activities of the Russian contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh are a key factor in ensuring the security of the Armenian population there, and we greatly appreciate Russia's efforts in ensuring security and stability in our region. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the Cabinet meeting.

“Since November 2020, a number of events in Nagorno-Karabakh, including recent events, have raised questions among the Armenian public regarding the content and nature of the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The capture of the villages of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher by Azerbaijan with the presence and acquiescence of Russian peacekeepers, the capture of the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh with the presence of peacekeepers on March 24, 2022, and the ongoing and escalating violations of the ceasefire regime along the contact line, as well as incidents of physical and psychological intimidation of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani divisions in the presence of peacekeepers, are simply unacceptable. In this context, it becomes critically necessary to clarify the details of the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh; this has been necessary from the very beginning, but we must admit that Azerbaijan has hindered this process by refusing to sign the mandate for the operation of the peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh. We expect any attempts to cross the contact line to be stopped by the Russian peacekeeping contingent, and Azerbaijani units inside the contact line to be withdrawn,” Pashinyan stated.

Speaking about the mandate of the Russian contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinyan said: “The signatures of Armenia and Russia are sufficient to fully implement that mandate; otherwise, measures should be taken towards internationally establishing that mandate or endowing peacekeepers with a broader international mandate.”