Lavrov: Russian peacekeepers ensuring contacts between Garabagh Armenians, Azerbaijanis

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russian peacekeepers help Garabagh Armenians and Azerbaijani officials maintain contact.

He made the statement at a press conference on the results of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, TASS reports.

"Regarding Garabagh. Our peacekeepers there are now helping contacts between Garabagh representatives and Azerbaijani officials. They met the day before yesterday [September 22], they are meeting, I think, again today," the foreign minister said.

"Our peacekeepers are present there based on that their role is important for confidence-building so that the Garabagh people, especially at first, feel safe. How long this will take, how many peacekeepers are needed - this is a question that is decided on the ground on the ground," Lavrov pointed out.

On September 19, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a local anti-terrorist operation in the Garabagh region in an attempt to destroy the remnants of illegal Armenian armed groups after they refused to dissolve and surrender voluntarily.

The fragile situation in Garabagh between Azerbaijan and the de-facto separatist regime heightened in the last few months, with both sides moving troops across the region. Recently, Azerbaijan increased its pressure on Khankendi, demanding the quick disarming of armed groups and re-integration of the ethnic Armenian population.

The trigger point for military actions became the anti-tank mine explosion in the Khojavand district that killed two civilian workers and four police officers. According to the official statement of the local authorities, those landmines were planted after the area was cleared as an act of provocation against Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that they accepted the appeal of the Armenian population of Garabagh to cease military actions to prevent human casualties. As a result, the military operations halted as of 13:00, September 20 under the terms of Baku to lay down arms and surrender to Azerbaijani forces.

On 21 September 2023, a meeting with representatives of Armenian residents of the Garabagh region was held in the Yevlakh district at the invitation of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration.

During the meeting, issues related to the reintegration of the Armenian residents of Garabagh on the basis of the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan were discussed.