Russian state media: Nagorno-Karabakh forces begin to hand over weapons, military equipment
The armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh have begun to hand over weapons, ammunition and armored vehicles, Russian state-controlled media reported on Sept. 22, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“In pursuance of the agreements reached, the armed formations of Karabakh have begun the surrender of weapons under the control of Russian peacekeepers,” the Defense Ministry said.
The Ministry claims that more than 800 units of small arms and anti-tank weapons, six units of armored vehicles, and about 5,000 rounds of ammunition were retrieved. Additionally, Russian peacekeepers were reported to have delivered 50 tons of humanitarian supplies for the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, including through the Lachin corridor.
Earlier today, Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, suggested in an interview with Reuters that ethnic Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh would receive amnesty in exchange for laying down their arms.
Hajiyev also stated that some individual groups and units of the Armenian defense forces have pledged to continue fighting, although he did not consider them to be a "big security challenge."
Following the 24-hour offensive launched by the Azerbaijani military on Sept. 19 in Nagorno-Karabakh, a ceasefire was brokered with the condition that the Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Forces be disbanded and disarmed.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
