September 11, 2021 11:44 am (UTC + 04:00 am)

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By Vafa İsmayilova

A new Russian peacekeeping commander has been presented to Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, the Defense Ministry reported on September 10.

During the meeting with Hasanov, the outgoing commander of the Russian peacekeepers temporarily deployed in Azerbaijan, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, introduced the newly appointed commander, Major General Mikhail Kosobokov.

The meeting with the leaders of the peacekeepers focused on the latest situation in the Azerbaijani territories, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed.

Earlier, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev said that “some discussions” on additional legal mechanisms for the tenure of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are still ongoing.

He noted that the activities and operations of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh were carried out in accordance with the trilateral declaration signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10.

The presidential aide added that the November 10 trilateral agreement established a “political and to some extent legal framework” for peacekeepers.

“Regarding additional agreements and additional legal mechanisms on the mandate of peacekeepers, the parties have had initial contacts and some discussions are still ongoing,” Hajiyev said.

He stressed that all the territories of Karabakh are the sovereign lands of Azerbaijan.

“All of Karabakh is the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, the international community recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and in accordance with the November 10 declaration, peacekeeping forces have been temporarily deployed to a certain part of the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh “, underlined the presidential assistant. .

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed for five years in Karabakh as part of the trilateral ceasefire agreement negotiated by Moscow and signed in 2020. The signed agreement required Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The agreement also stipulated the return of the Azerbaijani regions of Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin. Before the signing of the peace agreement, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers and the historic city of Shusha which had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On August 11, 2021, Azerbaijan urged Russian peacekeepers to end the illegal deployment of Armenian troops to Azerbaijani territories under their temporary control.

Later on August 14, President Ilham Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan recently identified Armenian troops being sent to Karabakh via the Lachin Corridor which is controlled by Russian peacekeepers and pointed out that this contradicts the peace agreement of November 10, 2020 signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan.

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