After Karabakh was completely cleared of Armenian separatists, the process of the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers—who had been temporarily deployed in the region—was initiated. In accordance with the Trilateral Statement signed on November 10, 2020, a decision was made by the highest leadership of both countries for the early withdrawal of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent from the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Based on the Memorandum signed between the Republic of Turkey and the Russian Federation, the Turkey-Russia Joint Monitoring Center was established in the city of Aghdam, Azerbaijan, on January 30, 2021, with the purpose of monitoring the ceasefire regime and preventing violations in the Karabakh region. However, as the need for such a center no longer existed, it was officially closed on April 18, 2024.
The process of withdrawing the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent, which had been temporarily stationed on the territory of Azerbaijan following the Patriotic War, was completed on June 12, 2024.
Furthermore, on May 24, 2024, the villages of Baghanis Ayrim, Ashaghi Askipara, Kheyrimli, and Gizilhajili—non-enclave villages in the Gazakh district that had been under occupation for 30 years—were officially returned to Azerbaijan. The peaceful return of these four villages, without a single shot being fired or any bloodshed, marked yet another victory for President Ilham Aliyev.