It Wouldn't Hurt for Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense Not to Question Russian Peacekeepers' Activities over Such Insignificant Issues, Says Russian MoD

The representatives of the Russian peacekeeping contingent (RPM) responded to the statement from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense regarding the outrage over the use of the name Magavuz in peacekeepers' informational summaries.

The statement notes: “The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Russian peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh use place names defined by the geographic maps approved by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation while performing training and combat tasks. The criticism from Baku regarding the name of the settlement of Magavuz is surprising, as other non-Azerbaijani place names have also been used multiple times in informational bulletins from the Ministry of Defense of Russia. However, this has not led to any demands in the information space. Moreover, when coordinating the movement of columns and organizing cooperation with Russian peacekeepers, the Azerbaijani side also uses these place names.

The activities of the Russian peacekeeping force are regulated by the trilateral statement of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia dated November 10, 2020, aimed at conducting constant monitoring of the ceasefire regime. During various meetings, the efficiency of these operations has been highly evaluated by Azerbaijani officials. Ceasefire regime violations published in the official bulletins of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are recorded by peacekeepers at observation posts using objective monitoring technology, which allows for monitoring at any time of day.

It wouldn’t hurt for the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan not to question the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh over such insignificant occasions but rather continue to work closely with them on-site to maintain peace in the region.