Russian 'peacekeepers' start to leave Nagorno-Karabakh

This was reported by Intellinews, APA and Musavat.

It is noted that the so-called peacekeepers have left the area around the Khudavang Monastery in the Kalbajar district.

Russian troops left the monastery several days ago. Now Khudavang is guarded by Azerbaijani police.

"These developments indicate the beginning of the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent from Azerbaijani territories, which occurred after its temporary deployment in accordance with the trilateral agreement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia on 10 November 2020," ARA writes.

The evacuation of the so-called peacekeepers from the base in Khojaly is also underway. The process is expected to be completed in a few days, Musavat writes, citing its own sources.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the information about the withdrawal of Russian "peacekeepers" to TASS.

Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

On September 19, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced the launch of "local anti-terrorist measures" to restore constitutional order in Karabakh. The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that Azerbaijan was conducting "ethnic cleansing" in this way. 

The next day, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities announced a ceasefire. The President of Azerbaijan said that "all tasks in the region" had been completed. Subsequently, Azerbaijan announced an amnesty for the Armenian military of Nagorno-Karabakh who would lay down their arms.

On September 25, protesters in Yerevan announced a general action of disobedience in the country. As of the evening of September 29, about 100,000 refugees arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Later, Armenia filed a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice against Azerbaijan, accusing Baku of infringing on the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. On October 1, a UN mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in 30 years due to the mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region.

On October 3, Armenia ratified the Rome Statute and pledged to comply with the decisions of the International Criminal Court, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a declaration recognizing Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.

Subsequently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan was ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and open transport communications by the end of the year.