After the legal and actual transition, or rather return, of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to the borders of Azerbaijan, the question arose about the legitimacy of the continued presence of Russian peacekeeping forces in this territory. Prior to this, the peacekeepers acted within the framework of the conditions specified in the trilateral agreement between Moscow, Yerevan and Baku dated November 10, 2020. Now Armenia's participation in it makes the agreement null and void.
At today's briefing, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov touched on this very difficult topic. The Kremlin speaker said that Moscow intends to discuss with Baku the possibility of extending the mission of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, taking into account the fact that this is now the territory of Azerbaijan. The issue of concluding a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan remains relevant, added the press secretary of the head of state.
Now we are talking about a mission that is located on the territory of Azerbaijan. This will be the subject of our discussion with the Azerbaijani side
Peskov said.
Currently, a mass exodus, more like an escape, of ethnic Armenians from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh continues. According to the latest data, more than 90 of the 000 Armenians living in Karabakh have already moved to “historical homeland." If, of course, this can be called a country whose government, led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is leading an increasingly pro-Western policy, has de facto and de jure abandoned its compatriots to the mercy of fate.
Russian peacekeepers, whom Pashinyan regularly accuses of “inaction,” continue to perform functions to ensure the safety of civilians. Residents of Karabakh are provided with humanitarian and medical assistance. Our military regulates the movement of vehicles towards Armenia along the Lachin corridor, escorts convoys and helps residents in hard-to-reach settlements get to Stepanakert.
Today, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking with foreign journalists, reiterated that Baku guarantees respect for the rights of the Armenian population of Karabakh, but with the condition of reintegration and acceptance of Azerbaijani citizenship. Aliyev also stated that more than two thousand former internally displaced persons had returned to their homes in Karabakh. Obviously, we are talking about Azerbaijani citizens. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported that a UN mission will visit Nagorno-Karabakh in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission of Armenia confirmed the validity of 58 signatures collected by activists to pass a law criminalizing refusal to support Karabakh. If parliament does not accept the amendments, then the next stage will begin - collecting 000 thousand signatures to hold a referendum on this issue.
Pashinyan’s Russophobic policy is also beginning to bear fruit. The Armenian press reports that Gazprom Armenia has stopped accepting applications to pay rent and utilities for families from Karabakh and is discussing other forms of support. This is the Armenian branch of the Russian Gazprom, which ranks second among the country's largest taxpayers with payments for 2022 of more than 52,2 billion drams (about nine billion rubles). I wonder if the United States and the European Union will be able to replace these revenues from the Armenian budget, not to mention the gas supplies themselves?