A top Russian diplomat says Moscow is ready to facilitate the safe return of displaced KarabakhArmenians if they so desire.

"Unfortunately, most of the Karabagh Armenians left the region. It was their hard but voluntary choice. In this regard, it is important to create conditions for the return of those who would like to do so, properly ensuring their rights and security," Russian Foreign Affairs Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS.

Galuzin said Russian peacekeepers still stationed in the region would support such a return.

Galuzin noted that when Azerbaijan launched its offensive last September against Nagorno Karabakh, Russian peacekeepers there were able to minimize civilian casualties.

“Our peacekeepers provided shelter to civilians, delivered humanitarian aid, organized medical evacuation," he said, without commenting on criticism that the peacekeepers failed to halt the Azerbaijani offensive.

Galuzin parroted the Kremlin’s argument that Armenia had recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, giving Baku the pretext to resolve the Karabakh issue as an internal matter.

Photo: Narek Aleksanyan/Hetq