Moscow expects that the UN agencies—following the example of the ICRC—will join in resolving humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)], Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported.
"I mean the [UN] Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, the [UN] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and, of course, there are acute problems also with the preservation of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; and here UNESCO can play its role," Lavrov added, speaking to reporters.
The Russian FM noted that the ICRC has been in the region for a long time and its respective experience can be useful for other organizations. "I believe that the cessation of hostilities on the basis of these agreements, of course, creates additional opportunities for the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is present in Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh," he told reporters.
According to him, the ICRC can play an important role in overcoming the consequences of what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh.
On November 9, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement on a complete cessation of hostilities in and around Artsakh. Accordingly, Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in the region to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities. But this statement also stipulates the handover of part of Artsakh lands to Azerbaijan.
