Russian general: Decision to withdraw peacekeepers followed Armenia's official recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity

After Armenia officially recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Moscow and Baku made a joint decision to start the process of withdrawing the Russian peacekeeping contingent as the peacekeeping activity reached its goal, the commander of the Western Military District of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Yevgeny Nikiforov, said at an event held in Khojaly dedicated to the withdrawal of the peacekeeping contingent from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, Report informs.

According to him, the Russian peacekeepers fulfilled their tasks: "Thousands of hectares of land were cleared of landmines and 30,000 explosives were neutralized by our sappers in the process of establishing peace."