Moscow [Russia], April 18: The Kremlin has confirmed reports that Russian troops are beginning to withdraw from the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh between the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"This is indeed the case," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday in response to media inquiries. He did not give any details on the time frame of the operation. The former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have long fought over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has a mostly Christian Armenian population, but comprises about 4,500 square kilometres within predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the flare-up of ethnic conflicts, it seceded from Baku in 1994 with the help of Yerevan. Azerbaijan recaptured part of these territories in 2020. In the fall of 2020, Russia then deployed troops to the crisis region on the basis of an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and a ceasefire to act as a buffer and prevent further fighting.
Source: Qatar Tribune
