Pashinyan calls for the introduction of multinational peacekeeping forces in Karabakh instead of Russian “peacekeepers”

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is calling for the introduction of multinational peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh to replace the Russian “peacekeepers” due to their inactivity.

On December 29, at a government meeting, Pashinyan proposed that Russia apply to the UN Security Council for a peacekeeping mission mandate in Nagorno-Karabakh.

This is in connection with the responsibility for the Lachin corridor being blocked, which he blamed on Russia.

According to Pashinyan, Azerbaijan is allegedly blocking the Lachin corridor, which is critically important for Armenia, and Russian “peacekeepers” have no influence on this situation.

Pashinyan emphasized that the blockade is a gross violation of paragraph 6 of the tripartite statement on the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh dated November 9, 2020.

However, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the information about the complete blockade of the corridor and claim that civilians can move freely along the road.

According to Pashinyan, only two countries of the tripartite declaration – Azerbaijan, and Russia – are responsible for the current situation.

The Head of the Armenian government stated: if Russia cannot ensure stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh, then it should either initiate a discussion at the UN Security Council meeting on granting Russian peacekeepers a UN Security Council mandate or discuss deploying additional multinational peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Previously, during the meeting with Putin, Nikol Pashinyan expressed complaints regarding the inactivity of Russian “peacekeepers” in Karabakh. Pashinyan stated that they have not held control over the Lachin Corridor, which is critically important for Armenia, for 20 days.

“You know that it has been closed for almost 20 days. This is the area of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. Let me remind you that according to the tripartite statement (from November 2020) of the Presidents of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Lachin corridor should be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Azerbaijan guaranteed unimpeded passage of passengers and goods. Now it turns out that the Lachin corridor is not under the control of the Russian military,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

Previously, on December 22, the Prime Minister of Armenia already criticized the Russian side for inaction.

On December 12, the Lachin Corridor was closed to traffic due to a protest by citizens of Azerbaijan, who demanded an end to the excavation of minerals from the region. Protesters are still in place.