Russia accuses Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire after talks with Armenia

Moscow/Yerevan: – The tension in the Nagorno-Karabakh region has increased following the attack carried out by Azerbaijan on the border. It has been revealed that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for two days. The Russian defence department has given a reaction criticising the actions of Azerbaijan. While accusing Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire, Russia also expressed intense regret over using Turkish drones for the attack.

Last week, the Azerbaijan military entered a village named Farukh in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and gained control over the village. It has been revealed that Azerbaijan also took control over the strategically important Karaglukh Height region. Surprise is being expressed as Azerbaijan took this action despite the presence of Russian peacekeeping soldiers in the region. Armenia also said that Azerbaijan is launching drone and mortar attacks on villages near the Nagorno-Karabakh border.

Following the attacks by Azerbaijan, Armenia started talks with Russia. As a part of this, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashiniyan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the telephone on Thursday and Friday. During the talks, the Armenian prime minister demanded that the stand of the Russian peacekeepers be examined. At the same time, he adopted an aggressive stand that the Azerbaijan military should retreat to their positions on Wednesday, 23rd March.

Following the discussions between the Armenian Prime Minister and Russian President, Russia recorded a strong reaction against Azerbaijan. The ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh has been violated. The use of Turkish drones by the Azerbaijan military for the attacks is a concern. The Russian defence ministry said that Russia is concerned that the tension in this region has increased in Nagorno-Karabakh, given these attacks. Russia has instructed that Azerbaijan should withdraw its military immediately. Russia had mediated in the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. After that, 2,000 Russian peacekeeping soldiers were deployed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. But despite all this, a conflict had been sparked between the two countries in November last year, claiming the lives of 22 soldiers. Against this background, the new tension is drawing attention.