Withdrawal of Armenia`s Armed Forces from Nagorno-Karabakh logical -  Armen Grigoryan

ArmWithdrawal of Armenia's Armed Forces from Nagorno- Karabakh is logical after the  ceasefire was established and Russian peacekeepers were deployed in  Nagorno-Karabakh, , Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia  Armen Grigoryan said in an interview with ARMENPRESS. 

The process will be completed this September. 

The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army ensured the country's security in  the past. "And nothing is being changed in this regard," Mr Grigoryan  added. The deployment of the Russian peacekeeping forces in  Nagorno-Karabakh should be a security guarantee as well. 

As regards the events in the village of Parukh, Mr Grigoryan said  that what happened was a gross violation of the November 9 2020  trilateral statement and applicable international law. Referring to  Russia, he voiced hope that the Russian peacekeeping forces will  ensure the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani units that invaded the area. 

The very presence of the Russian peacekeeping forces is evidence of  Russia accepting the fact of a real existential threat to the  population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the peacekeeping forces are  playing a key role in ensuring the security of Nagorno-Karabakh  Armenians, Mr Grigoryan said. 

On March 24, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces invaded the village of  Parukh in the Askeran region of Artsakh and tried to capture the  strategic  height of Karaglukh. These territories are in the zone of  responsibility of Russian peacekeepers.  The co-chairing countries of  the OSCE Minsk Group called on Azerbaijan to restore the contact line  of March 23. However, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue occupying  the Karaglukh height. As a result of which more than 400 people  cannot return to their homes. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on the situation  around the Karabakh village of Parukh the Azerbaijani armed forces  invaded on March 24.

On June 9, at a press conference in Yerevan, in response to ArmInfo's  question as to the steps the Russian side is taking to completely  withdraw the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territories around the   village of Parukh of Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov noted that the Russian  military keep this issue as one of their priorities, which the   Armenian partners are well aware of.

"There are already certain results in terms of de-escalating the  situation on the ground. And we understand that within the framework  of the substantive work already started in the direction of  demarcation, these issues will be considered and will be resolved by  all means," the Russian Minister said.