One day after the start of a ceasefire for the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the ceasefire is apparently fragile. Azerbaijani soldiers fired shots not far from Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, the Interior Ministry of the internationally unrecognized republic in the South Caucasus said. Representatives of the Armenian population reported that shots could be heard in the center. Armenians living in Stepanakert were called upon not to take to the streets. Azerbaijan rejected the allegations. They were “completely wrong,” it was said from Baku.
Azerbaijan had attacked the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians, with rockets and artillery since Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, the militarily inferior Armenians gave up. They agreed to an agreement that would place the region under Baku’s control.
Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh should be brought to safety amid tensions. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said that Russian soldiers stationed in the area have so far brought out around 5,000 Karabakh Armenians from particularly dangerous places in the besieged region. After the announcement of a ceasefire on Wednesday, thousands of people rushed to the airport in the regional capital Stepanakert, where Russian peacekeepers are stationed.
Many of the approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh fear being driven from their homeland or, if they stay, becoming the target of Azerbaijani violence. According to Armenian media, at least 200 people have been killed and more than 400 others injured in the fighting over the past few days.
EU demands security guarantees
In the Azerbaijani city of Yevlax, the conflicting parties are now talking about the future of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. A delegation of ethnic Armenians has arrived in the city of Yevlakh, the Azerbaijani presidential office said. The Tass news agency reported that the talks began in the presence of a representative of the Russian peacekeepers, citing local media.
After the military operation, the EU demanded security guarantees for the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. EU Council President Charles Michel made it clear in a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that his country must ensure that ethnic Armenians are respected and have a future in Azerbaijan, a senior EU official said. Conditions for safe and voluntary departure must be created for those who wanted to leave Nagorno-Karabakh.
After the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev said in a televised speech that Azerbaijan had regained full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. He now wants to integrate the region’s population. “They are our citizens,” Aliyev said. He has nothing against them, only against their “criminal” separatist leaders.
Armenian forces have begun disarming and withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia denies having weapons and soldiers in Nagorno-Karabakh. After the major offensive, Aliyev promised that the region should now become a “paradise”.
The two ex-Soviet republics have been fighting over the region for years
Although Nagorno-Karabakh is located on Azerbaijani territory, the majority of the population is Armenian. The two warring ex-Soviet republics have been fighting over the region for years. Armenians are predominantly Christians, Azerbaijanis are predominantly Muslim. There have been ethnic conflicts between the two groups in the past.
After the forced abandonment of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came under pressure. Thousands of people took to the streets in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Wednesday, demanding his resignation. The protesters accuse Pashinyan of doing nothing to support Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.