YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The claims of the Azerbaijani side about the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Artsakh pursue the goal of distorting the November 9 trilateral declaration on ceasefire and are the continuation of the recent-days' provocations by the armed forces of that country aiming to thwart the efforts of the Russian peacekeepers, ARMENPRESS reports the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh announced, commenting on the remarks of an Azerbaijani foreign ministry official in an interview with Russian ''Kommersant'' saying that the Armenian forces must withdraw from Karabakh.

''At the same time, we note that the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh was, is and will be the key guarantor of the statehood of Artsakh and its people. After the establishment of a ceasefire mediated by Russia on November 10, the Artsakh Defense Army together with the Russian peacekeeping forces continues its mission to ensure stability and peace in the conflict zone’', reads the statement.