Pashinyan: if Russia decides to withdraw its peacekeepers from  Nagorno-Karabakh, this will mean that there is no longer any danger  to its population

ArmInfo.The purpose of  deploying Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh is fixed in  the corresponding decision of the Federal Assembly of the Russian  Federation. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at a press  conference on July 25, commenting on the statement of Turkish  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that in 2025 the Russian peacekeeping  contingent should leave Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the  decision of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation states  that the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation gives the right  to Russian President Vladimir Putin to send peacekeepers to  Nagorno-Karabakh to prevent extensive casualties. "Now, if the  Russian Federation decides to withdraw its peacekeepers, regardless  of individual nuances, this will mean that there is no longer any  danger to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Otherwise, in the  presence of this danger, it will be difficult to accept the adoption  of such a decision>, Pashinyan stressed.

He added that the possible withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers could  mean the effectiveness of direct contacts between Baku and  Stepanakert with the involvement of international mechanisms, which  may indicate that the presence of Russian peacekeepers is no longer  needed.

On July 20, at a briefing, official representative of the Russian  Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on the recent statement  by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Russian peacekeepers  should leave Nagorno-Karabakh in 2025 and that this is provided for  by the tripartite agreements of November 9, 2020. <You know, I want  to remind you that Ankara is not a party to the statement of the  leaders of the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated  November 9, 2020. It was on the basis of this document that the  Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed in the zone of the  Nagorno- Karabakh conflict. And it is in this document that both the  duration of the contingent's stay in the region and the parameters of  its possible extension for another five-year period are clearly  outlined. Let me remind you that Russian peacekeepers continue to  play an important stabilizing role in Nagorno-Karabakh. The main  function is to maintain the ceasefire and hostilities, given the  ongoing tense situation in the region, mission's activities are now  even more in demand. Maintaining peace in the South Caucasus is in  the interests of not onlyAzerbaijan and Armenia, but the  regionnaires, as it seems to me, including Turkey. In this regard, we  note the well-coordinated interaction with Turkish partners within  the framework of the joint Russian-Turkish center in the Aghdam  region>, Zakharova noted.