MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - Russia may enlarge its peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh if all conflicting sides deem this to be necessary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"As to increasing the number of our peacekeepers, this is possible, but only with the consent of all sides, including the Azerbaijani side," Putin said at his annual press conference on Thursday.
"This is a purely technical issue. If everyone decides this should be done, we'll do it. If not, then we won't," he said.
Not just peacekeepers, but also officers of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and the Federal Security Service's Border Service have been posted to Nagorno-Karabakh, Putin said.
Putin also commented on the recent ceasefire breach in Karabakh. "Hopefully, this individual case will never repeat itself," he said.
Russia stands ready to continue providing humanitarian aid to the people living in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also expects international organizations to join these efforts, as well, Putin said.
"We do expect that international mediators will finally switch from words to deeds and start actually helping the people who need aid, primarily the refugees returning to Nagorno-Karabakh. That not only Russia will be doing this by sending humanitarian convoys there, but that international organizations will finally start acting, including UNICEF, UNESCO, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization," he said.
The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh continued from September 27 to November 9. The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia adopted a statement on November 9 on an absolute ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting on November 10.
Russia has deployed 1,960 peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh, with its core formed of units of the Central Military District's 15th Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade.
Russian peacekeepers intervened to help normalize the situation in the Hadrut district, Lieut. Gen. Rustam Muradov, the commander of the Russian peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh, said on December 14.
"The ceasefire was violated in the vicinity of the settlements of Khtsaberd and Khin Takher in the Hadrut region on December 11, but it was suppressed by the Russian peacekeeping contingent. At present, the situation in this area has returned to normal," Muradov said at a press briefing.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said earlier that Azerbaijani forces had attacked an outpost of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the Hadrut district. Azerbaijan accused the Armenian forces of an armed provocation. Yerevan dismissed these accusations.