Russia denies claims of expending peacekeeping mission in Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Kremlin has denied the alleged expansion of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, said Wednesday, November 25 that it is important to separate the work of the military peacekeepers and the humanitarian center created in Karabakh, RIA Novosti reports.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed that military doctors have flown to Karabakh to provide assistance to the local population. The Russian peacekeepers, meanwhile, ensure the safe movement of civilian transport along the Lachin corridor, help restore water and heat supply in civilian facilities and residential buildings.

"No, that is a wrong impression," Peskov told reporters when asked to clarify whether the Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh is becoming broader than previously stated.

The Kremlin spokesman also noted the difference between the work of the peacekeepers themselves and that of the interdepartmental center for humanitarian response.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side is returning all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.