November 9, 2021 marks the first anniversary of adoption of the statement on ceasefire and all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone adopted by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The adoption of this statement provided the opportunity to put an end to the bloodshed and start the process of establishing peace in the region. This is stated in the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the occasion of the anniversary of the trilateral agreements between the leaders of the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The statement also reads as follows: “Today we can record the fact that the agreements recorded in the Statement of November 9, 2020 are generally being implemented. Moreover, it is important that Baku and Yerevan stay true to further implementation and strict observance of all the provisions.
The Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in accordance with the statement is making significant contributions to stabilization of the situation and ensuring of security in the region, and our Azerbaijani and Armenian colleagues appreciate this.
Starting from December 2, 2020, with the participation of Russian peacekeepers, a total of 122 prisoners of war and persons held have been returned. Out of those 122, 105 have been returned to Armenia, 17 have been returned to Azerbaijan, and 3 packages of mine maps have been transferred to the Azerbaijani side.
The Russian peacekeeping contingent is actively involved in the establishment of peace. Humanitarian aid is regularly provided, the territories are cleared, the necessary infrastructures for living are being restored, and nearly 53,000 refugees have returned to their homes.
From December 2020 until June 2021, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has delivered 1,581 tons of humanitarian cargo and 800 tons of construction materials to the region. There has also been work done for humanitarian demining.
We continue to make efforts for a rapid solution to the remaining humanitarian challenges, including the release of all detainees, clarification of the fate of all missing persons, transfer of the bodies of the deceased and provision of fully precise mine maps. Ensuring safety of cultural, religious and historical heritage objects is also important.
With our colleagues, we plan to consistently meet the objectives for the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the South Caucasus that are formulated in the statement adopted by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on January 11, 2021. We highly appreciate the activities of the Trilateral Working Group. We highlight the need for the speedy launch of specific projects based on balance of interests.
We note the importance of reduction of tension on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border and the launch of demarcation and delimitation. We deem it important to continue the efforts with regard to the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, and the contributions of the ICRC, the UNHCR, the UNESCO and other relevant international organizations are required.
We will do everything to contribute to the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and support the peace initiatives that are aimed at expanding the contacts at all levels, with regard to a broad range of issues related to the ensuring of stability, security and economic development in the South Caucasus. We are also ready to contribute to dialogue between the societies of Azerbaijan and Armenia with the participation of the Russian Federation in order to create an atmosphere of confidence between the Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
We support the establishment of friendly-neighborly relations between the countries of the South Caucasus and their neighbors and the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the region.”
