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Riots broke out in Armenia’s capital Yerevan
© APA (AFP)
After weeks of violent fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a ceasefire under Russian mediation. The “full” ceasefire should allow for a “permanent” solution to the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared late Monday. Armenia’s head of government Nikol Pashinian called the deal “unspeakably painful”, while Azerbaijani head of state Ilham Aliyev praised the opponent’s “surrender”.
The conflict between the two former Soviet republics over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out again in late September. According to official figures from both parties to the conflict, more than 1,300 people have died since then, including dozens of civilians. The now-agreed ceasefire went into effect Tuesday night.
According to Putin, the agreement stipulates that both parties will continue to control the territories currently occupied by them. According to this, Russian soldiers will be sent as part of a peacekeeping mission to patrol the front lines and secure a corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the Armenian state. As announced by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the deployment of 1,960 Russian soldiers and 90 armored vehicles is planned.
Paschinian called the agreement on the online Facebook network “an indescribably painful step for me personally and for our people.” He accepted the agreement after a “thorough analysis of the military situation.”
Aliyev triumphantly said in a televised speech that Pashinian had no choice but to sign the “historic agreement”. The Armenian head of government was forced to do so by an “iron hand”. It is “essentially a surrender.”
Thousands of people demonstrated against the ceasefire in Yerevan. They reprimanded Pashinian as a “traitor” and demanded that he resign. Hundreds of protesters stormed the government headquarters and the parliament building. In the seat of the government they razed offices and smashed windows, in parliament they extended into the plenary hall.
Shortly before the ceasefire was announced, Azerbaijani troops shot down a Russian military helicopter. According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, two soldiers were killed and another wounded in the incident near the Russian border with Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry apologized for the shooting down Monday night, speaking of a “tragic incident” and oversight. Russia has a military base in Armenia, but also maintains friendly relations with Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani troops had recently made great strides on the ground. On Sunday, Aliyev announced the “liberation” of Shushi, the second largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh. Shushi is located in the mountains above the regional capital Stepanakert and along a major highway connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dates back to the times of the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, the predominantly Armenian region had unilaterally declared its independence. This was followed by a war with 30,000 dead in the 1990s. The self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is not yet internationally recognized and is considered part of Azerbaijan under international law.
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