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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Russian peacekeeping troops, prisoner swap and above all, no more fighting: Azerbaijan and Armenia sign a ceasefire for the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenians loot their own seat of government in protest.
In the conflict over the South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the head of government of Armenia and the president of Azerbaijan agreed to end all hostilities. The new ceasefire came about thanks to the mediation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It went into effect at 1:00 am local time on Tuesday morning. The Kremlin in the Russian capital Moscow announced this to the Interfax agency. Putin said the deal is the basis for a long-term solution to the Karabakh problem.
The Russian peacekeepers must now monitor the end of the fighting. Consequently, both parties agreed to a previously controversial proposal. So far there have been three ceasefire attempts. They all failed. But it is the first time that the heads of state and government have signed an agreement of this type.
The agreement also provides for a prisoner exchange. Both parties must exchange the remains of the dead soldiers. Refugees must return to their homeland under the supervision of the United Nations. Russian border troops take control of the transport links between Karabakh and Armenia. Azerbaijan and Armenia have pledged to freeze their current positions, Putin said.
Armenians devastate the seat of government
In Armenia, spontaneous protests against the agreement began. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke of a painful moment when he had to sign the agreement. The protesters reprimanded him as a traitor and stormed and devastated his seat of government. “The text is painful for me personally and for our people,” Pashinyan wrote on Facebook. However, after careful consideration and analysis of the situation, he decided to sign it, Pashinyan wrote. Observers saw this as a surrender.
The fighting has continued since the end of September. The death toll from Nagorno-Karabakh rose 44 to 1,221 on Monday, authorities said. Baku does not provide any information on losses in the armed forces due to censorship regulations during the state of war.
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. Azerbaijan invokes international law in the new war and always seeks the support of its “sister state” Turkey. Armenia, in turn, trusts Russia as a protective power.
