Massive protests in Armenia against the Nagorno-Karabakh Agreement – Politics –

Police arrested an opposition leader and other critics of the ceasefire agreement reached with Azerbaijan on Tuesday. They tried to hold a rally and demanded Paschinian’s resignation.

Public gatherings are prohibited by martial law imposed in Armenia by the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, 17 political parties planned demonstrations. They are outraged by the ceasefire negotiated through Russia, which is supposed to end the six-week fighting between the Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijani army.

Above all, discontent is directed at the fact that the lands captured by the Azerbaijani army must remain under the control of Azerbaijan. This also includes Shusha, the second largest city that Armenians call Shushi. By December 1, other areas will be under the control of Azerbaijan.

The majority of Armenian Christians live in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan. Under international law, the South Caucasus region belongs to predominantly Islamic Azerbaijan, which it renounced in 1991. This is not internationally recognized.

Armenia’s prime minister, Pashinian, justified his approval of the ceasefire agreement with the fact that his own army had urged him to do so. Nagorno-Karabakh leaders argue that there was a risk that rapidly advancing Azerbaijani soldiers could take control of the entire area after the fall of Shushi.

Observance of the ceasefire is now monitored by soldiers from Russia, which has a defense pact with Armenia and maintains a military base there. Turkey is providing diplomatic and military aid to Azerbaijan.

Turkey and Russia are establishing a center to monitor the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara on Wednesday that the center should be built “on Azerbaijani territory liberated from occupation.” The corresponding agreement was signed in the morning. Turkey will participate in peacekeeping forces with Russia to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.

In contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov once again made it clear that the center for monitoring the ceasefire would be located on Azerbaijani territory and not in areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that had previously been conquered by Azerbaijan. “No, we did not understand it that way,” said President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman. He again denied that Turkey was also sending peacekeeping troops.

Azerbaijan lost control of the mountainous area with around 145,000 inhabitants in a war after the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago. Since 1994 there has been a fragile ceasefire. In the new war, Azerbaijan regained much of the area. The country relied on international law and had the support of its “sister state” Turkey. Armenia, in turn, trusts Russia as a protective power.