Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believed the recently signed peace deal would allow for a lasting solution to the problem in the Nagorno-Karabakh region that has spanned decades.
Speaking on television after the agreement was released, Putin said he believed it would create the "necessary conditions for a long-term and full-fledged settlement of the crisis around Nagorno-Karabakh on a fair basis."
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that both Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to "a total cease-fire.”
He said the two sides would hold on to areas under their control and that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed along frontlines to secure a corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian territory.
Putin said displaced people would be allowed to return to the region, and there would be an exchange of prisoners and bodies from the fighting.
Russia will deploy 1,960 peacekeepers with 90 armored vehicles. The ministry said several Il-76 aircraft carrying the first peacekeepers and their equipment had taken off from an airfield in Russia.
“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 five years, with automatic extension for the next five-year periods,” according to the deal.
Since clashes erupted on Sept. 27, Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijan's civilians and its armed forces, violating three humanitarian cease-fires since Oct. 10 in the process.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
About 20% of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven other regions, has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.
World powers, including Russia, France and the United States, have called for a sustainable cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.
Last week, Russia pledged "necessary" help for Yerevan in the conflict with Azerbaijan if fighting reached Armenian territory after its ally requested security assistance.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin "urgent" consultations on security assistance as Azerbaijani forces make gains against Armenian forces.
