ArmInfo. The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh corresponds to the current realities in the region. This was stated by spokesperson of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov in an interview with the First Russian TV Channel.
"This corresponds to the current realities that have developed in the region after Armenia recognized the borders of Azerbaijan as of 1991. Therefore, the geopolitical realities there have changed, and, in fact, there are no more functions left for them," Peskov said, according to Russian mass media. Last week, the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh began.
The Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed in Artsakh based on the results of a trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020 between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. The statement stopped the war initiated by the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem against Artsakh. By the agreements, 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 units of automobile and special equipment were sent there. It was planned to deploy peacekeepers in the region for five years - until 2025. After last year's September aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, against the backdrop of the inaction of the entire international community, and the mass exodus of Artsakhis, the need for peacekeepers generally disappeared.
The Kremlin has already confirmed the fact that the process of withdrawing RPC forces from occupied Artsakh has begun. According to the official Baku, the decision was adopted at the level of the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan.