Russia and Turkey to establish a ceasefire monitoring center in Karabakh

12 November 2020

 

A memorandum on the establishment of a joint Russian-Turkish center to control the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh was signed after video talks between the head of the Russian Defense Ministry, Army General Sergei Shoigu and head of the Turkish military department Hulusi Akar, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday.


"Following the negotiations, a memorandum was signed on creating a joint center to control the ceasefire and all military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone," the Russian military department said. The document defines the tasks and principles of the joint monitoring center.


As noted in the Russian Defense Ministry, according to Shoigu, the agreements reached by the Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia, as well as the introduction of Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone allowed to stop a fire, stop the bloodshed and create conditions for a return to a peaceful life.


"The presence of Russian peacekeepers will ensure stability in the crisis region, stop the flow of refugees and facilitate their return to their places of residence," Shoigu said. He also added that "the decision to establish a joint monitoring center will allow for reliable monitoring of compliance by the parties with the cessation of hostilities and will form a solid basis for the settlement of the long-standing conflict".


The joint ceasefire monitoring center will be located on the territory of Azerbaijan. It will collect, summarize and check information on observance of ceasefire by the parties and other actions violating reached agreements. The center will be tasked with recording violations by means of visual observation, unmanned aerial vehicles. The Center will also evaluate data from other sources. It will become a body for examining any problems, complaints and issues related to violations of previously reached agreements.

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: AP / TASS

Based on materials from TASS