It Would Be Better If Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense Did Not Question the Activities of the Russian Peacekeeping Forces in Nagorno-Karabakh: Statement

The Russian armed forces and the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh use place names defined by the Russian Ministry of Defense's General Staff topographic maps while carrying out training and combat assignments, according to a statement from the Russian peacekeeping forces' press service.

“The criticism from Baku regarding the name of the settlement of Maghavuz is surprising, as other non-Azerbaijani place names have previously and repeatedly been used in the Russian Ministry of Defense’s reports in the context of ensuring the escort of vehicle columns of Azerbaijani citizens through the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, this did not lead to demands in the information space. Moreover, when coordinating the movement routes of columns and organizing cooperation with Russian peacekeepers, the Azerbaijani side also uses these place names,” the statement said.

It was noted that the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent are regulated by the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, and are aimed at monitoring the observance of the ceasefire regime, which has been highly valued by Azerbaijani officials numerous times.

“Ceasefire violations reported in the official documents of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are recorded at the peacekeepers' observation posts, using objective monitoring techniques that allow observation at any time of day. It would be better if Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense did not question the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh on such insignificant occasions and continued to work closely with it, including on the ground, to maintain peace in the region,” the statement added.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense issued a statement calling on Moscow to use Azerbaijani place names in Nagorno-Karabakh.