MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russia will persevere in its efforts to contribute to a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"The Russian Federation has been pursuing its mediation efforts, acting primarily under the existing trilateral agreements, and is set to continue doing so," Peskov said as he referred to Moscow’s dialogue with both Yerevan and Baku.

According to Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around the Lachin Corridor with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of an informal CIS summit in St. Petersburg on Tuesday. "Talks on the issue will continue," he pledged. "We do find the current tensions around the Lachin Corridor worrisome," he emphasized.

Commenting on Pashinyan’s idea to invite international peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh, Peskov said that international peacekeeping forces may be involved, provided both parties to the conflict, not only Armenia, agree to that. "Armenia is one of our closest allies, while Azerbaijan is our very precious and dear partner," the Russian presidential spokesman insisted.

 

Lachin Corridor

 

Earlier on Thursday, Pashinyan said that the Armenian government expected a road map from Russia to unblock the Lachin Corridor, which, according to the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, is under the control of Russian peacekeepers, but is now blocked by Azerbaijan. According to Pashinyan, "if the Russian Federation is unable to ensure stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh for objective or subjective reasons, it should initiate discussions in the UN Security Council on giving Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh a UN Security Council mandate or sending additional multinational peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh."

The Lachin Corridor is the only route connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. On December 12, a group of Azerbaijani nationals, who posed as environmental activists, blocked the Lachin Corridor, where a Russian peacekeeping contingent is deployed. Baku has claimed that the protest is not aimed at blocking any road and that civilian vehicles can freely move in both directions.