Korotchenko: Putin, Aliyev might discuss future fate of Russia's Karabakh peacekeepers in Bishkek

The fate of the Russian peacekeeping contingent (RPC) is a matter of bilateral relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, since Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan, and the presence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent there will continue to be regulated by bilateral agreements, the Director General of the Caspian Institute for Strategic Studies, Igor Korotchenko, said at the online meeting “Development of the South Caucasus after the completion of the Karabakh conflict,” Report informs.

“There may be different options, and I think that the issue will be discussed. Perhaps today or tomorrow, when the announced meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev takes place within the forum of the CIS member states’ leaders being held today in Bishkek,” he said.

The expert noted that if Baku and Moscow consider the presence of a Russian peacekeeping contingent necessary, they will discuss in what form this will be.

“It is possible for the mission to transition to a support format, for the Armenians to feel more comfortable for some initial period while going through reintegration and obtaining Azerbaijani citizenship, when they return," he noted.