Georgian President on Nagorno-Karabakh Deal: New Era Starts in the Caucasus

"A new era starts in the Caucasus. I congratulate our friends, Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the end of the tragic war," Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili wrote on Twitter, responding to the agreement on the end of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

She offered sympathy to the families of the victims.

“A new era starts in the Caucasus. I congratulate our friends Armenia and Azerbaijan for ending a tragic war and thank all the facilitators. My sympathy to the families of the victims. Peace and stability have no alternative! We launch together a new chapter of cooperation," she tweeted.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement today to end the military conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under the new deal, Azerbaijan will hold on to the areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that it has taken during the conflict. Armenia has also agreed to withdraw from several other adjacent areas over the next few weeks.

During a televized online address, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to patrol the frontlines. The country's defense ministry confirmed that 1,960 personnel would be involved. 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the deal "incredibly painful both for me and for our people."

The new ceasefire agreement prompted anger in Armenia, with protesters storming Parliament, reportedly also looting the Prime Minister's office, reports the BBC. 

By Ana Dumbadze 

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