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The visit of Armenian opposition MPs to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was not pre-agreed with the Russian peacekeepers. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Several dozen lawmakers representing the opposition Hayastan and With Honor (Pativ Unem) blocs headed to Artsakh after announcing a boycott of the four-day parliament session on April 12. However, the Russian peacekeepers manning the Aghavno checkpoint in the Lachin corridor did not allow them to enter Artsakh without providing any explanations.

"The Russian peacekeeping contingent acts in strict adherence to the provisions of the statement of the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders dated November 9, 2020. The said visit was not agreed upon with the command of the peacekeeping contingent in advance," Zakharova said.

“We believe that the statements alleging that the actions of the Russian peacekeepers run counter to the terms of the November 9 statement are untrue. In view of the incidents that have taken place both in the peacekeepers' area of responsibility and on certain sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, we expect both sides to refrain from steps that could further escalate the situation in the region,” she added.