BAKU, March 26 – Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday Azerbaijani forces entered a zone in the Nagorno-Karabakh region monitored by Russian peacekeepers in violation of a deal, but Azerbaijan denied those claims.
Russia said it had asked Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops and was “making efforts” to move forces to their starting positions. It also said Azerbaijan had carried out four drone strikes in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry refuted Moscow’s version of events, calling the Russian statement “unilateral”.
It was said that “illegal” Armenian armed forces attempted an act of sabotage but were forced to retreat when “immediate action” was taken. It reiterated Azerbaijan’s commitment to the “three-way declaration” – an agreement it signed with Armenia and Russia in November 2020 to end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region after more than a month of bloodshed.
Azerbaijan emerged victorious from this conflict, having regained territories lost in a previous war between 1991 and 1994.
But many questions remain unresolved, including the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenians living there.
Moscow deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to the region after the ceasefire, reaffirming its role as police officer and chief broker in a volatile part of the former Soviet Union where Turkey also has increasing influence thanks to its close alliance with Azerbaijan.
Reporting by Reuters reporters, Nailia Bagirova, Editing by Christina Fincher