Aliyev Says Lachin Corridor In Karabakh Placed Under Control Of Russian Peacekeepers

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced on Tuesday that the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh was placed under control of the Russian peacekeepers, and it was agreed that its width would total 5 kilometers (3.1 miles)

BAKU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced on Tuesday that the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh was placed under control of the Russian peacekeepers, and it was agreed that its width would total 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

"As you know, the corridor was placed under control of the Russian peacekeeping forces. For years, it was controlled by the Armenian armed forces, the occupants. I can tell you that the initial version of the joint statement [between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan], signed on November 10, included a provision saying that the corridor would remain under control of the Armenian armed forces, but I opposed it, and the corridor was eventually placed under control of the Russian peacekeeping force, which I believe is a great achievement," Aliyev said in his address to the nation.

The initial version of the trilateral statement on the Karabakh ceasefire said that the corridor would be 30 kilometer-wide, but Aliyev recalled he had rejected this as "groundless aspirations of the Armenian side."

"Then, the second version suggested that the Lachin corridor should be 10 kilometer-wide. I did not give my consent, and an agreement was reached on a 5 kilometer-wide corridor ... which is enough both for us, for Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and for guaranteeing safety," Aliyev went on to say.