Azerbaijan opposed deployment of peacekeepers in Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - To deploy peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh, the consent of both sides is required; Baku has voiced no such intention, the head of the department of international military cooperation of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, Major General Huseyn Mahmudov said on Wednesday, october 7, according to RIA Novosti.

"As for the peacekeepers, I would like to answer with the words of the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov. The deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone requires the consent of both sides. As you know, Azerbaijan has not voice such intentions," Mahmudov said.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said earlier in an interview with Al Jazeera the possibility of deploying Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh could be discussed as part of a wider resolution within the OSCE Minsk Group.

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey, launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. International and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.

Donations can be made to Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, which has launched a fundraising campaign to support Karabakh amid Azerbaijan's aggression.