Moscow hosts Azerbaijan and Armenia peace talks

Baku: Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a complete ceasefire and cessation agreement in Moscow. The president of Azerbaijan I.H. Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia N.V. Pashinyan and the president of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin singed the agreement with mutual consent.

According to the statement issued by the Azerbaijan embassy Islamabad, the three leaders declared the following:

A complete ceasefire and cessation of all hostilities is announced in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone effective 00:00 Moscow time on 10 November 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, stop at their current positions.

The Aghdam district is returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan before 20 November 2020.

Along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed in the amount of 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armoured personnel carriers, 380 units of automobile and special equipment.

The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces. The duration of the deployment of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is 5 years, with automatic extension for the next 5-year periods, if none of the Parties declares intention to terminate the application of this provision 6 months prior to the expiration of the term.

In order to increase the effectiveness of control over the implementation of the agreements by the Parties to the conflict, a peacekeeping center is being deployed to control the ceasefire.

The Republic of Armenia will return the Kalbajar district to the Republic of Azerbaijan before 15 November 2020, and the Lachin district by 1 December 2020. The Lachin corridor (5 km-wide), which will ensure the connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and, at the same time, will not affect the city of Shusha, remains under the control of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation.

By agreement of the Parties, in the next three years, a plan for the construction of a new route along the Lachin corridor will be determined, providing communication between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, with the subsequent redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route.

The Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees security of the movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions along the Lachin corridor.

Internally displaced persons and refugees are returning to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts under the control of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, and bodies takes place.

All economic and transport links in the region are unblocked. The Republic of Armenia guarantees the safety of transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to organize the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions. Control over transport communication is carried out by the bodies of the Border Guard Service of the FSS of Russia.

By agreement of the Parties, the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan will be provided.

Since September 27, 2020 the armed forces of Armenia have been targeting the civilian population, private houses and civilian infrastructure in Azerbaijan in a deliberate, widespread and systematic manner. By doing so, Armenia grossly violates its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols as well as disregards the humanitarian ceasefire declared on October 10, 18 and 26.