Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire: What was Russia's role?

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00:00 to go back to our top story now, and that's, of course, the ceasefire that has been reached

00:05 in Nagorno-Karabakh, one that was negotiated by Russian peacekeepers.

00:11 We go across to our correspondent, Khashish Genti.

00:14 We've reestablished that connection for you.

00:16 Khashish, let's talk about the role Russia has played in all of this, because we have

00:21 comments coming in from the Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he's saying that he

00:25 is in contact with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

00:32 But Russia has been accused by Armenia in the past of not paying enough attention to

00:38 the conflict.

00:39 Yeah, this is a really difficult situation, and there are many layers to understand what's

00:45 going on, or to try to understand, and we don't have the final solution on that.

00:51 We know that Russia certainly played a role today to try to break this ceasefire, and

00:57 nobody denies it, so we can believe it is true.

01:00 But indeed, in the last weeks especially, but even the last, I would say, two years,

01:06 the Armenian side especially accused Russia, which is the Armenian strategic partner, to

01:12 not do enough, to never oppose to the use of force by Azerbaijan.

01:17 For example, when last December Azerbaijan decided to impose a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh,

01:23 especially by closing the corridor of Lachin, which according to the ceasefire document

01:32 which was signed back in 2020, it was under Russian responsibility.

01:38 And Russia didn't manage to do anything, or didn't want to do it.

01:41 So this is why there is a big resentment today, nowadays, in Armenia.

01:46 For example, yesterday there was a demonstration in front of the Russian embassy to say how

01:51 they are unhappy with the Russians' behavior in this standoff between Baku and Yerevan.

02:00 Regis, officials in Yerevan said they were not involved in the ceasefire talks.

02:08 Can we assume that they will not be present tomorrow when these Armenian separatists meet

02:12 with officials from Azerbaijan?

02:14 Indeed, they won't be present, that's for sure.

02:19 The diplomatic position taken by Armenia since at least one or two years now is that the

02:27 question of Karabakh now belongs only to people from Karabakh.

02:30 So this is a question between, let's say, Stepanakert and Baku.

02:34 And Armenia doesn't want to be involved in this, and they split it.

02:39 So this is why they won't be present.

02:41 Then there is a fear also, because back in May 2021, for example, the Azerbaijani forces

02:49 went inside the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

02:53 And the last thing that Armenia wants is to be involved in a war with Azerbaijan.

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