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Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his bravery, criticized in his country for the ceasefire that confirmed Azerbaijan’s victory in the six-week war on Nagorno-Karabakh, AFP reported.
The agreement, signed on November 9 between Baku and Yerevan under Moscow’s patronage, provided significant territorial gains for Azerbaijan and was viewed as a disaster by many Armenians seeking Pashinyan’s resignation. Protests and clashes also broke out in Yerevan.
“The Armenian government has been forced to make a very difficult but necessary decision,” said Russian President Putin. “These decisions were painful and required personal courage from the Armenian prime minister,” Putin said, assuring that “our task now is to support the Armenian prime minister and his team and organize a peaceful life” in Nagorno-Karabakh.
A contingent of 2,000 Russian soldiers has been deployed to keep the peace and ensure the security of the Lachin Corridor, the only remaining road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Under the November 9 agreement, Armenia pledged to cede three districts – Lachin, Kalbajar and Agdam – that had been out of Azerbaijan’s control since 1994. The return process ended yesterday. Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan according to international law.
Russia
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