Pashinyan Arrived in Moscow to Ask Putin for Support

Nikol Pashinyan decided to make his first foreign visit to Russia after winning the elections. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, July 7, said about the "not very stable situation" on the border with Azerbaijan. "I hope that we will be able to synchronize our watches on this issue today," he pointed out. Yerevan, in particular, claims that during the border clarification with the Syunik and Gegharkunik regions of Armenia, several hundred Azerbaijani servicemen have reinforced on the Armenian territory, and refuse to withdraw. According to the dpa agency, during his first foreign visit after his election victory, Pashinyan asked Putin for further support. The agency reports that the Armenian leader is seeking to expand the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region. Nikol Pashinyan thanked the Russian President for his personal participation in facilitating the return of 15 prisoners of war from Azerbaijan. On July 3, with the mediation of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan handed over 15 citizens of this country to Armenia in exchange for maps of minefields in Fizuli and Zangilan regions adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Yerevan, more than 150 people are still in Azerbaijani captivity. Baku declares that all Armenian citizens who were captured during the hostilities in the conflict zone around Nagorno-Karabakh last fall were returned, and only "terrorists and saboteurs" are being held.