YEREVAN, September 19 The protest takes place on Tuesday evening near Russian Embassy in Yerevan against the background of the worsening situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, local information portals broadcast live from the scene of events.
About a hundred protesters are calling on the Russian side to take measures to resolve the situation in Karabakh. Some of them address their demands to Russian peacekeepers, without explaining what measures they should take in the region, which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan actually recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Security for the protest, which is currently peaceful, is provided by law enforcement officials.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that Baku had launched “local anti-terrorist measures” to restore the constitutional order in Karabakh. Military facilities of Armenia were named as the targets of the Azerbaijani army in the region; it was stated that Baku was using high-precision weapons for this purpose. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from Karabakh and the dissolution of the unrecognized authorities in Stepanakert a condition for peace in the region. Yerevan called what was happening aggression and stated that there were no Armenian units in Karabakh.
In November 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia, through the mediation of Moscow, agreed to a complete ceasefire after hostilities, which resumed at the end of September 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh and continued a long-term conflict. The Kelbajar and Lachin regions, as well as part of the Aghdam region, which were previously under the control of the unrecognized NKR and were not occupied by the Azerbaijani army during the hostilities, were transferred to Azerbaijan. Russian peacekeepers are stationed in the region, including the Lachin corridor.
At the end of May this year, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan is ready to recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan within Soviet borders, that is, together with Karabakh. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention to the fact that the Armenian leadership, in essence, recognized the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Karabakh.
