YEREVAN, December 14. /TASS/. Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claims that the Azerbaijani forces’ offensive operations in the Hadrut district of Nagorno-Karabakh are aimed at devaluing the efforts of Russia’s peacekeeping mission.

"Azerbaijan’s actions are outspokenly provocative," Pashinyan said in a televised address to the nation on Monday. "They are also aimed at devaluing the activity of Russia’s peacekeeping mission in Artsakh (unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - TASS). They wish to demonstrate that peacekeepers are unable to stop provocative actions. The plight of the villages Khtsabert and Khin-Tager is the first serious test for the Russian peacekeepers," he said.

Pashinyan stressed that there were no civilians in Khin Tager and Khtsaberd and only Russian peacekeepers were stationed there on the weekend.

"Their task was to ensure the status of these territories in accordance with the trilateral declaration of November 9," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 9 signed a joint statement on the complete termination of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the agreement the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces stopped at the positions they were holding at the moment and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region. Azerbaijan regained control of the Agdam, Kelbajar and Lachin districts.