All refugees and displaced persons have the right to return to Karabakh [(Artsakh)] and restore their cultural, and civilizational religious roots, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Thursday.

When asked whether the Russian peacekeepers are a temporary or indefinite guarantee of security, the minister cited the respective statement’s point according to which the Russian peacekeeping troops shall stay there for a period of 5 years, with automatic extension for the next 5-year periods, if none of the parties declares of its intention to terminate the application of this provision 6 months before the expiration of the preceding period.

"It is written that way. I think this is a very reasonable wording which creates a horizon for calming down the situation.

Let me just mention the need to consider all status issues, first of all, in terms of ensuring the rights of the ethno-confessional groups living there. All refugees and displaced persons have the right to return to Karabakh and restore their cultural and civilizational religious roots. The situation with many monasteries and mosques should be discussed, many of which are in a painful state today; this, by the way, refers to religious sites in other parts of the region. The Armenian side has repeatedly raised the issue of the fate of Christian churches in Nakhchivan. I am convinced that now that we have reached a peaceful settlement after the cessation of hostilities, special attention should be paid to the cultural heritage issues of Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and other groups. It will be one of the most important steps enabling to restore inter-ethnic peace and harmony.

Many issues need to be resolved in order for the cultural heritage of Armenians and Azerbaijanis to become a unifying moment. I hope that the 5-year period from which we started will allow us to lay a solid foundation for moving in that direction. What will happen in 5 years? I would not like to get ahead of ourselves. We are convinced that all parties are interested in the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. Let's not make predictions. Let us support the Russian peacekeepers in fulfilling their mandate for peace in Karabakh," the Russian FM added. 

To note, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday night signed a joint statement on a complete cessation of hostilities in and around Artsakh. According to the Russian leader, the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces will remain in their positions, and Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in the region. But this statement also stipulates the handover of part of Artsakh lands to Azerbaijan.