The Armenian Prime Minister stated that the Yerevan government did not participate in the drafting of the ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday morning to end hostilities in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“We note the decision of the Karabakh authorities to cease hostilities and lay down their arms”Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declared in a televised address a day after Baku launched the offensive.
Pashinian added that Armenia has had no military units in the region since August 2021, but stressed that the cessation of fighting is “very important.”
“We take note of the decision of the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities to cease hostilities and lay down their arms. It is very important.” that fighting in the enclave would stop, he added.
The Armenian opposition accuses Pashinian, who denounced opposition calls for a “coup”, of being responsible for the 2020 military defeat.
There were clashes in Yerevan on Tuesday, with protesters calling him a “traitor” and demanding his resignation outside government headquarters.
This Wednesday, the leaders of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh announced that they had agreed to lay down their arms and negotiate the reintegration of the territory they controlled in the enclave into Azerbaijan.
The separatists’ decision came a day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the enclave with a predominantly Armenian population, leaving 32 dead and more than 2,000 injured, according to the separatists.
The ceasefire confirmed by Azerbaijan came into effect at 1:00 PM local time (10:00 AM in Lisbon) and was proposed by the peacekeeping force that Russia has maintained in Nagorno-Karabakh since 2020.
The press service of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh said in a statement that negotiations on reintegration into Azerbaijan will take place from Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh.
“Representatives of the local Armenian population and representatives of the central authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan” will be present at the negotiating table, the statement cited by the Russian agency TASS said.
The parties will do that “discuss reintegration issues based on the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan”said the Armenian separatists.
“Issues raised by the Azerbaijani side regarding reintegration and guaranteeing the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh” will be analyzed.
The conditions for reintegration also refer to guarantees for the livelihood of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, in accordance with the agreement reached,” she added.
The Azerbaijani offensive began on Tuesday, hours after six Azeris, including four police officers, were killed in a mine explosion in the area it disputes with Armenian separatists, who said the Azerbaijani offensive left 32 dead and more than 200 injured.
Launching the offensive, Azerbaijan demanded Armenia’s “unconditional and total” withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh and the dissolution of the “so-called separatist regime” to achieve peace in the Azerbaijani region.
Source: DN
