Russian Deputy FM considers it important `to create conditions for  safe return of those Artsakh people who want to do so`

ArmInfo.The issue of extending the powers of the Russian peacekeeping contingent (RPC) in Nagorno-Karabakh after November 2025 will depend on the situation in the region, the demand for their continued presence and relevant agreements with Baku. Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Galuzin stated in an interview with TASS.

Let us recall that at the end of January in New York, Russian Foreign  Minister Sergei Lavrov, answering a question about the future fate of  the RPC and Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, said that the issue  of deploying Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh no longer  concerns the Armenian side and is the subject of bilateral discussion  with Baku.

According to Galuzin, as a result of the clashes on September 19-20,  2023, Karabakh came under the full control of Baku. "The mentioned  September events has arisen not on an empty place. The Armenian side  recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including  Karabakh within it, at a summit under the auspices of the EU in  October 2022 in Prague. At the same time, the issue of ensuring the  rights and security of the Armenian population of the region was not  resolved then," he noted.  "Now Karabakh is being integrated into the  legal field of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, the majority of Karabakh  Armenians left the region. It was their difficult but voluntary  choice. In this regard, it is important to create conditions for the  return of those who want to do so, while properly ensuring their  rights and safety. We are ready to provide every possible assistance  to this process, including through the Russian peacekeeping  contingent, whose presence is of great importance.

Taking into account the radical change in the situation in Karabakh,  the conditions of stay of our peacekeepers are discussed only with  the Azerbaijani side. It should be noted that our dialogue with  partners is constructive. We resolve all emerging issues in a  mutually acceptable manner," said the deputy head of the Russian  Foreign Ministry.

It should be noted that according to the tripartite statement dated  November 9, 2020, the RPS was supposed to be present in Artsakh until  November 2025, with the possibility of further extension of the  mandate.  However, after last year's September Azerbaijani aggression  and de-Armenization of the NKR, the question arose about the future  fate of the peacekeepers remaining in the devastated city.