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.