Today, Russia indicated that it is working with Armenia and Azerbaijan in its role as a security guarantor in the South Caucasus region, after Armenia stated that Azerbaijan is increasing the number of troops near the border between the two countries. The Armenian official news agency reported Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying that Azerbaijan is currently implementing "military buildup along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the border between the two countries.”
When asked about Pashinyan's statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Armenia's plan announced on Wednesday to host military exercises involving 85 American soldiers in a few days is unhelpful to the situation. He added, "In this situation, conducting such exercises does not contribute to stabilizing the situation in any way nor does it enhance the atmosphere of mutual trust in the region."
Peskov continued: "However, Russia continues to fulfill its tasks as a security guarantor. Russia is continuing precise, ongoing, and constructive work with Yerevan and Baku." Russia has maintained peacekeeping forces in the region since 2020 following a war in which Azerbaijan regained territory it lost to Armenian forces in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
