Russia Begins Withdrawing Peacekeepers From Flashpoint Region of Azerbaijan

The departure of Russian peacekeepers from Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region marks the end of a four-year deployment, as confirmed by Azerbaijani and Russian officials. The decision for the early withdrawal was made by the leaders of both countries, with the process already underway. Despite the bitter history between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh may now be considered closed. The region has been a point of contention since ethnic Armenian separatist groups, backed by Armenia, took control in 1994. A six-week war in 2020 ended with a Moscow-brokered ceasefire, leading to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers. Despite occasional tensions, peace was maintained until Azerbaijan’s offensive last September. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has criticized Russia for failing to prevent the offensive, leading to strained relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Yerevan has since sought closer ties with Western powers, much to Moscow’s displeasure. Meetings with EU and US officials have resulted in increased financial support for Armenia and efforts to enhance its security capabilities. These developments have been viewed by Russia as attempts to undermine regional security mechanisms based on the CSTO. Please rewrite the following sentence for me.

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