Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev demands from Russian peacekeepers to "prevent the illegal entry of foreign citizens to Karabakh." He said this in an interview with la Repubblica daily of Italy.

Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). "The war [there] ended about a year ago, and Russian peacekeepers are stationed in Azerbaijan—in the Karabakh region. The situation is stable during this period, except for a few minor incidents, and we are generally satisfied," he said.

At the same time, however, Aliyev expressed hope that the Russian side will prevent the “illegal entry” of foreign citizens to Karabakh. "In particular, there is a question about foreigners who need to get permission from Azerbaijan to visit Azerbaijani territories which are under the responsibility zone of Russian peacekeepers," said Ilham Aliyev.

"We have informed the Russian authorities and the Russian Defense Ministry about this in order to put an end to such incidents. This and a number of other issues need to be resolved. But now we are generally satisfied with the work of the peacekeepers," the Azerbaijani president added.