Azerbaijan ended the military operation it launched the day before in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it had restored “sovereignty” to the area, after Armenian separatists disarmed and initiated dialogue on the future of this enclave in the Caucasus had accepted. The agreement was reached with the support of Russia’s peacekeeping force, which has been in the region since the 2020 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Yerevan said it did not help in negotiations on the new deal, stressing that there were no troops on the ground are. contrary to what Baku claims.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, despite the fact that it has an ethnic Albanian majority and declared independence in 1991, in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The enclave was the scene of two wars between Azeris and Armenians, one in the 1990s and the latest in 2020, when Baku regained control of some of the territory lost during the first conflict.
On Tuesday, Azerbaijan launched an “anti-terrorist operation” – which Albania said was a “major military operation” aimed at “ethnic cleansing” – in a bid to regain full control of the territory. The action came after the deaths of four police officers and two civilians in landmine explosions. Baku reminded this Wednesday that the goal is the peaceful “reintegration” of the Armenians living in the enclave – about 120 thousand – as well as the normalization of relations with its neighbor and rival.
Less than 24 hours later, and after at least 32 people were killed, more than 200 injured and thousands evacuated from their homes due to bombing, Albanian separatists gave in to Azerbaijan’s demands. “The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh [o nome dado após a declaração de independência] accept the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent for a ceasefire”, they said in a statement that they were forced to do so after Baku’s forces managed to break through their lines and seize nearly a hundred strategic locations – without any response from the international community.
The international response to the Azerbaijani operation was one of condemnation, with several countries calling for dialogue to resolve the issues, fearing that violence would further damage the humanitarian situation on the ground and lead to a new war. Calls for an end to the violence followed, with Russia, the US and France contacting the leaders of both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Turkey, a historic ally of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, had said the operation was “justified” and even called for “negotiations” to resolve the situation. After announcing the deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped for a “peaceful” resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh.
The operation turned out to be a great success for Azerbaijan and its president. Ilham Aliyev inherited power from his father twenty years ago, after being accused of corruption and nepotism by his opponents. In recent years, with the support of Turkey, the country has strengthened its military to realize its dream of retaking the enclave. Yesterday, he said in a televised statement that “Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty” in Nagorno-Karabakh, announcing that the separatists had already begun to surrender their weapons.
Armenia, which insists it has no troops in the enclave despite accusations to that effect from Azerbaijan, said it was not involved in the ceasefire negotiations. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is under pressure after defeat in the 2020 war, with the opposition accusing him of conceding too much. In May, he even said that Yerevan was willing to recognize the enclave as part of Azerbaijan in exchange for the region’s security. Armenian population.
Pashinyan had recently criticized the role of Russia’s peacekeeping force, accusing Moscow of being distracted by forgetting the war in Ukraine and its allies. Last week, however, Putin had reminded that the country could do nothing if Armenia itself recognized that the enclave was part of Azerbaijan. Members of the Russian contingent were killed yesterday after the vehicle they were traveling in was attacked by unknown assailants. The case is under investigation.
In a televised statement yesterday, Pashinyan said he “took note” of the Armenian separatists’ statements, namely their willingness to meet with Azerbaijani authorities today to discuss the future and “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh. “We hope that the military escalation will not continue, because in the current situation it is very important to ensure stability and stop combat actions,” the spokesperson said. he said, calling on the Russians to guarantee the safety of the Armenians.
Source: DN
