State minister: Situation in Artsakh ‘too difficult’ for new peacekeeping force to be called in
The situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is “too difficult” for a new peacekeeping force to be called in, Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan told the Financial Times in an interview on Wednesday.
He instead proposed beefing up the Russian presence in Artsakh.
“You can’t blame the soldiers. They have limited numbers and limited options,” he said. “It’s a difficult region and it’s unclear how long this will go on or how it can be resolved.”
Vardanyan was appointed as Nagorno-Karabakh’s first minister by President Arayik Harutyunyan last October.
Since December 12, large groups of Azerbaijanis posing as eco-activists have blocked the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world, to protest what they claim is illegal mining.