YEREVAN, September 20. /TASS/. Armenia takes into account the decision of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s authorities to hold talks with Azerbaijan, the republic's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.
"We take into consideration what has happened and will continue to follow the events," Pashinyan said in his address to the people of Armenia.
"The Republic of Armenia was neither involved in [preparing] the signed text on Nagorno-Karabakh nor was it a party to the discussions," he added.
Pashinyan voiced hope that Russian peacekeepers will protect the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh once a ceasefire is reached.
"If the peacekeepers have made such a proposal, it means that they have totally and without any reservations assumed full responsibility for the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. And that means they must ensure full conditions for the rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians," he said.
"The latest information I have received from Nagorno-Karabakh is that the intensity of hostilities has sharply decreased, but they have not completely ceased. We hope that military escalation will not be continued," he noted.
Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed, end hostilities, prevent civilian casualties, and go back to trying to settle the Karabakh issue diplomatically. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow continues contacts with Baku and Yerevan. He said that at the moment there are de jure talks about Azerbaijan's actions on its territory, recalling that the Armenian side recognized Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan.
On September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent an agreement was reached on the suspension of anti-terrorist activities in Karabakh from 12:00 Moscow Time on September 20. At the same time, the Azerbaijani presidential administration reported that a meeting of representatives of Baku and the Armenian population of Karabakh "to discuss reintegration issues" will be held in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh on September 21.