Khojaly, Azerbaijan, May 15. During the peace settlement process in Karabakh, sappers cleared hectares of territory of mines and disarmed 30,000 explosives, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Yevgeny Nikiforov, said, Trend reports.
He made the remark during the ceremony on the occasion of the completion of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the Karabakh economic region.
He noted that three and a half years ago, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia signed a trilateral joint statement on ending the war in Karabakh.
“Almost the very next day, the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region began, posts were established in Karabakh, and the foundations were laid for the formation of sustainable peace in the region. During the peace process, sappers demolished thousands of hectares of territory and disarmed 30,000 units of explosives. More than 90,000 people received humanitarian aid, and more than 1,000 civilians received qualified medical assistance," Nikiforov said.
He stressed that after Armenia officially recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the leadership of Azerbaijan and Russia decided to withdraw the peacekeeping contingent from the territory of Azerbaijan.
“Russian servicemen have fulfilled the tasks set by the military-political leadership of our state at a high level. On behalf of the Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, and on my own behalf, I express my gratitude to the Russian peacekeepers for the worthy performance of their duties and to the Azerbaijani servicemen for fruitful cooperation,” Nikiforov said.
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