After the Deployment of Russian Peacekeepers in the Lachin Corridor, Armenian Citizens Have Been Captured: Prime Minister

The Armenian government does not criticize Russian peacekeepers but only expresses concerns regarding their activities, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated during a press conference.

The question was raised as to whether the Armenian authorities have begun criticizing peacekeepers, acknowledging that their mandate is limited to not using force, while previously only Azerbaijan had voiced such criticism. To what extent is Yerevan involved in negotiations with the Russian side, and has the Prime Minister personally met to discuss the circumstances in Lachin with the commander of the peacekeeping contingent, Andrey Volkov?

“We do not criticize the peacekeepers; rather, we express our concerns, which have longstanding roots. No one disputes that Russian peacekeepers ensure the security of the Nagorno-Karabakh people. However, we have the precedent of the Parukh incidents, where Azerbaijanis entered the area under the responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers, and essentially, we saw no response. Furthermore, Armenian citizens were captured in the area under the responsibility of the peacekeepers in Khtsaberd,” Pashinyan stated.

According to him, since the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the Lachin corridor, Armenian citizens unrelated to military operations have been captured. These are issues that, according to Pashinyan, need answers: “Are we just sitting idle with our mouths shut, or are we addressing these issues? We are indeed engaged with these matters, not just with the commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, but with the supreme commander of the peacekeepers.”

The Prime Minister noted that a state campaign to discredit Russian peacekeepers has begun in Azerbaijan, which is evident. At the same time, Pashinyan reminded that the trilateral statement clearly states that the Lachin corridor remains under the control of the peacekeepers.