Tuesday, December 29 2020 11:56

ArmInfo.The presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno- Karabakh will ensure peace in the region in the long term. This was stated in an interview with TASS by  Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security,  former Commander-in- Chief of the Air Force branch of the Russian  Aerospace Forces Viktor Bondarev.

The former Commander-in-Chief stressed that this is not the first  time Russia has played a decisive role in resolving conflicts between  its closest neighbors. "We deeply respect both warring parties, and  wish them only good and prosperity, which are impossible in the  conditions of war. During the hostilities, both Armenia and  Azerbaijan suffered losses in personnel and military equipment, many  civilians were killed, housing and infrastructure were destroyed, "he  said.  

Viktor Bondarev pointed out that thanks to the personal  intervention of the Russian president, the conflicting parties agreed  to conclude a trilateral agreement on November 10, 2020, which ended  the fratricidal war in Nagorno-Karabakh, which means that further  bloodshed was avoided. Azerbaijan agreed to a complete ceasefire and  the introduction of Russian peacekeepers on the line of contact  between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. Armenia, in turn, made  serious territorial concessions on the "security belt" in order to  save the lives of the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh and control over  most of the territory.  "Russia and our president personally managed  to accomplish what the UN Security Council, OSCE and the Minsk Group  could not achieve," the senator said.  

He recalled that the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is  protracted, and it did not arise yesterday.  "And territorial claims  and disputes about the ownership of this or that land, as a rule, are  not limited to the current configuration of forces. In such matters,  regression is always possible, since each side has its own truth. To  avoid it, our peacekeepers will remain in Karabakh, which will ensure  not only a ceasefire, but also at least a five-year period of  peaceful coexistence in Transcaucasia. I would like to emphasize that  from the end of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh everyone wins. We hope  that it will become a turning point in the course of many years of  confrontation, and peace in the region. I am confident that the  Russian peacekeepers will fulfill their tasks with honor and dignity,  "said Viktor Bondarev.