BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 19. It would be incorrect to argue that Armenians left Karabakh due to the passivity of Russian peacekeepers, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during an interview with Russian media, TurkicWorld reports.
"The treaty recognizing Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan did not mention any specific rights for the region's Armenian minority. Thus, it is wrong to blame the departure of Armenians from Karabakh only on the inaction of Russian peacekeepers," he said.
On April 16, social media leaked footage indicating the withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping contingent military equipment from Azerbaijan, but no official remarks were published on the subject.
On April 10, Russian peacekeepers left the Khudavang monastery complex in Kalbajar, which is now under the protection of Azerbaijani police.
Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov confirmed the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh on April 17.
