Azerbaijan highly appreciates the work of Russian peacekeepers in stabilizing the situation in Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with the Russian magazine Natsionalnaya oborona (National Defense), published in the September edition.
"Now we have a new stage (in relations with Russia), I would say, since the interaction is closer, contacts are more active, taking into account the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh region. Naturally, this topic is also constantly on the agenda, and I must note that almost a year has passed and absolutely everything is going on in a normal mode, without excesses, on the contrary, with full mutual understanding and interaction. We highly appreciate the work of Russian peacekeepers in stabilizing the situation. This is an important factor of stability," Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani leader also noted that he expects reconciliation between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, stressing Russia's important role in this. "And, of course, we expect that there will also be a process of reconciliation between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. We are neighbors too, and we are not going anywhere from each other. That's why we have to perceive these realities correctly. Of course, Russia's role here is very important and we see that this role is very positive," he said.
The situation in the conflict zone over Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27, 2020, when active hostilities were launched. On November 9 that year, a trilateral statement was signed by Russian president Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, which allowed to reach a complete cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone. The Azerbaijani and Armenian sides halted their positions, a number of areas came under Baku's control, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the line of contact and the Lachin corridor.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS