Russia explains entry ban for Armenian MPs to Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - The trip of a group of Armenian lawmakers to Nagorno-Karabakh was not agreed with the peacekeepers in advance, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, April 14.

Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday boycotted the parliament session and said they were planning to spend the week in Artsakh (Karabakh) and the border communities of Armenia. However, they were denied entry to Karabakh by Russian peacekeepers deployed in the area since fall 2020.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry reacted to the incident, maintaining that the move contradicts the Trilateral Statement of November 9, which envisages the unimpeded connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia through the Lachin corridor.

“The Russian peacekeeping contingent is acting in strict accordance with the provisions of the statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated November 9, 2020. This visit was not agreed with the peacekeeping command in advance,” Zakharova said.

“We believe that statements about the actions of Russian peacekeepers allegedly contradicting the provisions of the statement of November 9, 2020 are not true,” the commentary says.

Zakharova added that Moscow, given the incidents that have been taking place both in the zone of responsibility of the peacekeepers and in certain sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, both sides "will refrain from steps that could escalate the situation in the region."