Azerbaijan’s Aliyev condoles with Putin over Russian peacekeepers’ death in Nagorno-Karabakh
- 21 September, 17:01
Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev has apologized and expressed his condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the killing of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh separatist region.
In a phone call to Putin on Thursday, Aliyev apologized for the death of the servicemen of Russian peacekeeping contingent the day earlier. The Azerbaijani president assured the Russian leader that relevant investigation has been launched into the incident and that perpetrators will be brought to justice. He also expressed readiness to provide financial assistance to the families of the victims. The two countries’ prosecutor generals’ offices are in close contact to investigate the incident.
The telephone conversation comes after the Russian Defence Ministry reported on Wednesday that a number of Russian peacekeepers died in Janyatag village in Nagorno-Karabakh after the vehicle carrying them came under fire while returning from an observation post.
Around 2,000-strong Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh region along the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh following the war in 2020 that saw Azerbaijan regain control over most of the territories in and around the breakaway region. The peacekeepers have a mandate of at least five years.
The two leaders also discussed the humanitarian situation in the region, the implementation of the cease-fire agreement and the importance of talks between Baku and representatives of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan on Wednesday suspended the “anti-terrorist” operation against Armenian military formations in Nagorno-Karabakh following a week of tension in the region. The cease that was reached approximately 24 hours later, was followed by a meeting between officials from Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan’s Yevlakh city on Thursday.
