Russia says 'won't deploy peacekeeping forces until both Armenia and Azerbaijan agree'

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 30 said peacekeepers can only enter Karabakh if both Armenia and Azerbaijan give their consent. In a bid to resolve the Caucasus conflict, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashityan had, last week, urged Moscow, Washington and Paris to deploy forces in the region. However, Pescov denied the possibility saying that consent of both parties was needed.

“We have answered similar questions many times. Any peacekeepers are deployed to the conflict area only with the consent of both sides," Peskov told reporters when asked to comment on Pashinyan's statement. 

Broken ceasefires

The most recent ceasefire agreement was brokered by the US and signed on Sunday, October 25 after two previous Russian-backed ceasefire agreements failed. But even the US-brokered ceasefire agreement was followed by reports that both countries violated it. 

Read: Women Volunteers Join Nagorno Karabakh Battlefield

Armenia and Azerbaijan have clashed over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region for decades. Internationally, the region is recognised to be a part of Azerbaijan but it is controlled by ethnic Armenians. It was only last month, on September 27,  that clashes between the two countries intensified with hundreds of casualties on both sides. In the latest developed, female fighters have joined the Armenian side in an extraordinary show of valour. 

Read: Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: US To Host Armenia, Azerbaijan Foreign Ministers For Talks

The International community has looked upon the conflict with shocked responses and urged both countries to agree to a ceasefire and enter into dialogue. Even the UN Secretary-General has weighed into the conflict and had ‘welcomed’ the last ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Guterres also requested both parties to allow safe access to humanitarian workers in order to provide assistance to civilians in the region.

Read: Women Volunteers Join Nagorno Karabakh Battlefield

Read: Azerbaijan Refutes Allegations About Conducting Airstrikes On Nagorno-Karabakh Settlements