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With the mediation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenia and Azerbaijan have negotiated a new ceasefire for the crisis region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian soldiers are supposed to verify compliance with the agreement. Moscow immediately pointed out that Turkish soldiers other than their own should not participate. According to the Interfax agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made this clear.
He rejected a statement by Azerbaijani President Ilcham Aliyev, who had spoken of a deployment of Turkish peacekeepers and a joint mission with Russia.
“The presence of Turkish soldiers in Karabakh was not agreed,” Peskow said. Only the creation of a center to monitor the ceasefire in Azerbaijani territory was discussed. But these are separate negotiations. Russia is sending around 2,000 soldiers and extensive military technology to the region.
Clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the southern Caucasus, broke out again in late September. The conflict itself is decades old. Until now, Nagorno-Karabakh has been largely controlled by Armenia, but belongs to Azerbaijan under international law.
Azerbaijan is always seeking the support of its Muslim “sister state” Turkey. Christian Armenia, on the other hand, trusts Russia as a protective power.
“This is a victory for the people of both countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia, because the war has stopped,” Peskov said of the agreement reached Tuesday night. Russian soldiers are the guarantee that the war will end. The forces would also guarantee the exchange of prisoners and the dead.
According to Russian sources, France and the United States did not participate in the negotiations to resolve the conflict. Both countries are co-chairs with Russia in the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is responsible for the Karabakh negotiations.
France demands protection for Armenians
After the negotiated agreement, France called for a long-term political solution that would protect the interests of the Armenians. Paris is actively continuing its talks with Russia to reach a lasting agreement, he said from the presidential palace. “At this difficult time, France is on the side of Armenia.” It must be ensured that Armenians live in the conflict region and that tens of thousands of people who have fled their homeland in recent weeks can return.
France also once again asked Turkey to exercise restraint. “France urges Turkey to end its provocations in Nagorno-Karabakh, to act with restraint and not to do anything that jeopardizes the possibility of a lasting agreement being negotiated between the parties and within the Minsk Group.”
Turkey welcomed the agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Chancellor Mevlüt Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter that Azerbaijan’s ally had made significant gains on the field and at the negotiating table. “I warmly congratulate you on this great success.” The Azerbaijani “brothers” will continue to receive support.
