Azerbaijan and Russia Agree to Early Withdrawal of Peacekeeping Troops from Karabakh: What This Means for the Region’s Stability

On April 17, Hikmet Hajiyev, the assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, confirmed that Azerbaijan and Russia had agreed on the early withdrawal of Russian peacekeeping troops from Karabakh. Both countries’ defense ministries are working towards implementing this decision. The Russian peacekeeping force was initially deployed in Karabakh following a tripartite statement on November 9, 2020, by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia.

According to CSTO General Secretary Imangali Tasmagambetov in an interview with TASS Russian news agency, Baku has the necessary forces to ensure security in Karabakh. He mentioned that the Republic of Azerbaijan, as the current territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, has the capability to maintain security and emphasized that the issue cannot be resolved unilaterally. Tasmagambetov also noted that the stability of the region is heavily dependent on the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The peacekeeping force consisted of 1,960 soldiers with artillery weapons, armored personnel carriers, vehicles, and special equipment. The deployment of the peacekeepers was set for 5 years, with the possibility of extension for another 5 years unless one of the parties chose to cancel