27 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Government of Russia has announced the appointment of one of its main commanders at the head of the peacekeeping force deployed in Nagorno Karabagh, in dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, following the ceasefire reached in 2020 after the latest large-scale fighting in area.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has published an information bulletin stating that the new head of these forces will be Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov, who is also the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces.
Thus, he stressed that Lentsov “has been appointed commander of the Russian pacification contingent”, before stressing that these troops “continue to carry out their duties in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh”.
“Russian peacekeeping troops monitor the situation at all times from 30 observation posts and monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime,” he detailed, before stressing that “to guarantee the safety of Russian peacekeeping troops and prevent possible incidents, there is continuous interaction with the staffs of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
For the moment, the reasons for the appointment of Lentsov, who replaces Major General Andrei Volkov, have not been disclosed. The change came hours after a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinián.
The Armenian authorities have been critical of the actions of the Russian forces in the area, especially because of the restrictions imposed by Azerbaijan in the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with Nagorno Karabagh through Azeri territory.
Tensions rose again with new security incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan – which resulted in the death of an Armenian soldier and three wounded Azeri soldiers – and by Baku’s decision to install a “border post” in the Lachin corridor, something criticized by Yerevan and Moscow.
In this sense, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday called on both countries to avoid “unilateral actions” and called “unacceptable” acts that “violate the basic clauses of the tripartite communiqué (…) of November 9, 2020 , whether they are uncoordinated changes in the mode of operations in the Lachín corridor or their attempt to use it for other purposes that are not in line with the peace agenda.”
Azerbaijan has repeatedly denounced the transit of arms and ammunition through the Lachin corridor and has said that these operations take place despite the presence of Russian forces in the area, arguing that they must ensure that such deliveries do not have place.
