Moscow: Russia said on Thursday it had appointed a new head of its peacekeeping force in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, as tensions rise again between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
No reason for the change was given, but it was announced by the defence ministry hours after a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Russian peacekeepers were deployed in 2020 to end a 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh, the second that Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The mountain enclave is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.
Armenia has voiced increasing frustration that the Russian force has failed to keep open the Lachin corridor, the only land route that links it to Karabakh across Azerbaijani territory.
Russian media quoted an Armenian spokesperson on Tuesday as saying the country had appealed to the International Court of Justice over Azerbaijan’s installation of a checkpoint on the highway on Sunday, calling it a “flagrant violation” of Baku’s obligation to ensure free movement.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov said the checkpoint was set up in response to “safety concerns in light of Armenia’s continued misuse of the road for the transport of weapons and other illegal activities”.
He added: “We continue to be in close contact with the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) and the Russian peacekeeping contingent to best facilitate humanitarian access.” An Armenian spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters
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