News - Konstantin Zatulin: Russian peacekeepers’ days in Nagorno-Karabakh are numbered

The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh no longer has anyone to protect. Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the Russian State Duma, told this to Moscow is Speaking radio. He emphasized that Azerbaijan's attack "hit" Russian positions. "The [Azerbaijani] arrest of [Karabakh ex-Presidents Bako] Sahakyan and [Arkadi] Ghukasyan, which was actually carried out in front of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, is, in my opinion, a very serious reproach not only to the treacherous authorities of Armenia, but also to the function that we [i.e. Russia] have assumed upon ourselves: a peacekeeping mission in this region. "Some Russian officials have gone so far as to publicly state that there is no need to find culprits for the departure of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh. According to them, this is a voluntary action. This is an ugly statement that discredits Russia as a peacemaker. "The fact that all Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh means that at that moment they have already stopped believing that our peacekeeping contingent is capable of protecting them. "It is obvious that in any case, the days of our [peacekeeping] contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh are numbered because who will they protect if there are no people left there? Will our contingent control traffic rules in the [Karabakh capital] city of Stepanakert, which Azerbaijanis now officially call Khankendi? It's just a matter of time—and a short time at that. This is what happened as a result of the Azerbaijani attack, which ‘hit’ our positions in the region," said Zatulin. He added that Azerbaijan's actions "discredited" Russia as a strong power. In this regard, talks have started in Georgia about the recapture of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Russian MP noted. "People who find some advantages in the fact that Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity do not understand what kind of ‘ripples’ have spread in the ‘waters’ of the South Caucasus since then, and how this discredits Russia as a strong power that is able to follow its line in the region. "(…). I believe that Azerbaijan made a big mistake, as it went too far both with arrests and with the fact that it actually expelled Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh. This will affect the image of Azerbaijan, its opportunities in the world, etc. for a long time, regardless of what anyone is looking for: benefits, oil products, and everything else," Konstantin Zatulin concluded.