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men the conflict over the South Caucasus region of Nagornyj Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan have once again agreed to a “humanitarian ceasefire”. This was announced by the United States Department of State on Sunday after speaking with the foreign ministers of both countries in Washington the day before. Therefore, the ceasefire should take effect from Monday at 8 a.m. M. Local time (5 a. M. CET). Several truces had previously failed.
The conflict, which had dragged on for decades, flared up again in late September after a period of relative calm. Hundreds of people have died, including dozens of civilians, since the fighting began.
Fear of a proxy war
Nagornyj Karabach had unilaterally declared its independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union. This was followed by a war with 30,000 dead in the 1990s. The self-proclaimed Republic of Nagornyj Karabakh is not yet internationally recognized and is considered part of Azerbaijan under international law. Most of it is inhabited by Armenians.
Observers fear that the conflict could escalate into an indirect war between Russia and Turkey in the Caucasus. Turkey supports neighboring Azerbaijan in the conflict. Russia maintains good relations with both parties, but is considered to be the military protective power of Armenia.
