Artsakh authorities expect Russian peacekeepers to restore safe movement along Lachin corridor

YEREVAN, April 27. /ARKA/. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) President Arayik Harutyunyan told the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent Colonel-General Alexander Lentsov that Artsakh authorities and people expect the Russian peacekeeping forces to remove all obstacles and secure the free movement of people and traffic to and from Nagorno-Karabakh in the shortest possible time in accordance with the commitments stipulated by the trilateral Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani statement.

Lentsov has replaced Major-General Andrei Volkov, a more junior officer, who was appointed as commander of peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh in January 2022.

Welcoming the newly appointed commander, Harutyunyan underscored the role of Russian peacekeepers in ensuring the security of the Artsakh people and stability in the region.

Both sides stressed the necessity of steadfast implementation of the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020.

Armenian authorities have blamed the Russian peacekeepers for failing to keep open the Lachin corridor, the only land route that links it to Karabakh across Azerbaijani territory.

On April 23 Azerbaijan established a checkpoint near the border with Armenia obstructing the movement of people and traffic from and to Nagorno-Karabakh.-0-