MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. Kremlin hopes that Armenia will perceive the Nagorno-Karabakh agreements appropriately.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Moscow would rather not provide an assessment of Armenia’s reaction to the recently reached agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We know that [Armenian] Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan is working hard to explain the contents of these agreements and the essence of these agreements. We hope that these explanations will be perceived appropriately," the spokesman stressed.
The statement declaring a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, marks a victory for the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Dmitry Peskov stressed.
"It is a victory for the people of the two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia, because the war has ended," Peskov said, commenting on a statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who had congratulated Azerbaijan on achieving a victory on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.
Peskov noted that "Russian peacekeepers are being deployed to the region to make sure that the war ends." "They will ensure that there are no more military activities. Perhaps, political scientists can make speculations and issue congratulations but the main thing is to end the bloodshed," the Russian presidential spokesman said.
Peskov highlighted the importance of a provision concerning the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas. "The parties will also exchange prisoners, hostages and other detained persons, as well as the bodies of those killed. This humanitarian aspect and the end of the bloodshed are perhaps the main achievements," Peskov stressed.
The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that the document did not cover the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh. "We are still guided by the relevant international documents, primarily the UN Security Council’s resolution," he concluded.
Prolongation of deal
The agreed measures to end hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh may be prolonged in five years’ time by mutual consent, the Russian presidential spokesman told the media on Tuesday.
"The package of agreed measures has a rather long timeframe. The five-year periods may be prolonged provided neither side states the reverse in advance," Peskov said.
He described the agreement as a "serious document expected to last, its paramount goal being guaranteed termination of all combat clashes and the population’s return to their home areas with their security being guaranteed."
The Kremlin official stressed that the United States and France did not participate in the agreement on the termination of war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"It was a trilateral statement," he said.
Monitoring center
The creation of a center in Azerbaijan to monitor the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh requires a separate agreement, the Kremlin spokesman stated. "The creation of a ceasefire monitoring center on Azerbaijan’s territory was indeed discussed. That’s in Azerbaijan. This nuance of the location of that joint monitoring center is subject to a separate agreement," he said.
"This is not Karabakh," he stressed when asked which territory was mentioned in connection with the possible creation of a center to monitor the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh - Azerbaijan or, in particular, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to Peskov, the statement does not envisage the presence of Turkish peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. "There is not a single word about that in the statement, which has been published. The three sides did not agree on that, and the presence of Turkish soldiers in Nagorno-Karabakh was not agreed on," he said.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh since 00:00 Moscow Time on November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would remain on the positions they held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and bodies of those killed.
After the information on the agreement’s contents became public, Yerevan residents took to the streets, with a number of protesters breaking into the government and the parliament’s buildings. Pashinyan said that he plans to organize a rally of his supporters in the Armenian capital later.