After Azerbaijan’s offensive on territory occupied mainly by members of the Armenian ethnic group, both sides of the conflict announced negotiations on the possible integration of the enclave into Azerbaijani territory. The day after an Azerbaijani military operation in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Azerbaijan In Karabakh, inhabited mainly by members of the Armenian ethnic group, the two sides agreed this Wednesday (20/09) on a ceasefire, following the news of more than 30 deaths in the region in less than 24 hours.
Authorities of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, the enclave’s unrecognized government, said they had accepted a peace proposal put forward by Russian mediators to end Azerbaijani forces’ assault on the territory.
“With the mediation of the contingent command of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, an agreement has been reached for a complete end to hostilities,” the region’s self-proclaimed presidency said in a statement posted on social media.
According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, the ceasefire stipulates that Armenian army units present in the enclave must leave the region and that separatist fighters hand over their weapons, under the supervision of Russian peacekeepers. It is not clear, however, whether these conditions will be respected.
The collapse of the separatist resistance represents a significant victory for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in his bid to bring Nagorno-Karabakh under his government’s control.
Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan said his government was not involved in drafting the agreement and insisted the country has no military presence in the enclave. He had previously accused Azerbaijan of carrying out “ethnic cleansing” of Armenian citizens in the disputed territory.
Protesters in the Armenian capital Yerevan clashed with police officers demanding Pashinyan’s resignation. The country’s Security Council has threatened to take “effective measures” to restore constitutional order.
Over 30 deaths in 24 hours
Last Tuesday, Azerbaijan launched a ground offensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to try to take control of all the cities of the separatist territory. The government of the former Soviet republic has classified the action as an “anti-terrorist operation” and said it will not stop until the separatists and Armenian forces in the territory surrender.
Separatists indicated that several cities in the enclave, including the regional capital, Stepanakert, had been the target of “intense fire” against civilian infrastructure. Armenian authorities said 32 people were killed and more than 200 injured in less than 24 hours by the Azeri attacks. Among the dead are seven civilians, including two children.
The Azerbaijani government justified its actions in response to the deaths of four police officers and two Azerbaijani civilians in a mine explosion where a tunnel was being built, between Shusha and Fizuli, two cities in Nagorno-Karabakh under its control.
The separatists reported that the issue of reintegration of the enclave into Azerbaijani territory, with guarantees for the rights and security of the Armenian minority, will be discussed by representatives of the two parties in the city of Yevlakh on September 21.
Serious humanitarian situation
A ceasefire had been established after the last of two wars broke out in the territory, in 2020, after Azerbaijan seized two-thirds of the enclave. The pact, however, was violated several times.
Russia is considered a protective force for the Armenians in the enclave, but Moscow currently prioritizes sending its contingents to the war in Ukraine. Analysts had already predicted that Azerbaijan could take advantage of this instability to conduct military operations against the separatists.
Even before the most recent Azeri offensive, the humanitarian situation in the enclave was already dire, with Azerbaijan – a country rich in oil and natural gas and with great military power – blocking Armenia’s only access to the region, through the so-called Lachin corridor. .
RC/BL (AFP, DPA)
Source: Terra
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