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After the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh ended, more and more people are returning to their homes. In some areas, however, the opposite is true: residents flee and set fires in their homes.
After the arrival of Russian peacekeepers to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan and Armenia surrendered several fallen soldiers. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced in the capital Baku on Saturday that soldiers were killed in fighting for the city of Shusha, which was retaken from Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, several people who fled the fighting returned to the capital, Stepanakert.
Videos could be seen of how women and children in particular, as well as older residents, boarded eleven public buses and were taken back to Nagorno-Karabakh. When they arrived, some of them were hugging their loved ones. The tears flowed. The Russian Defense Ministry spoke of 250 returnees at night.
Residents burn houses
On the other hand, there were previously reports from other areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that residents fled because these regions were supposed to go to Azerbaijan. As a result, people often burned their houses. “We do not want Azerbaijanis to live in our houses,” said a resident of Charektar village, according to local media.
Earlier in the week, after several weeks of fierce fighting, Armenia and Azerbaijan, mediated by Russia, reached an agreement to end all fighting. For example, it foresees the return of larger areas to Azerbaijan that were previously under the control of Armenia. The agreement was seen as a defeat for Armenia and a victory for Azerbaijan.
Russian soldiers to Nagorno-Karabakh
The core of the agreement is the deployment of around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. They are supposed to monitor compliance with the ceasefire. Commander Rustam Muradow said on Saturday, according to the Interfax agency, that there would be no more fighting. “We didn’t hear any gunshots today. The situation is slowly stabilizing.”
This was received by the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, during phone calls with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, as announced by the Kremlin in Moscow. The two politicians had reached an agreement on the deal through Putin’s mediation. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is calm. In an interview with Aliyev, the Russian president particularly noted the protection of Christian churches and monasteries, he said.
Most of the peacekeepers have taken up positions, including in the Armenian-controlled capital Stepanakert. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that twelve observation posts have already been established. In addition, the military police have started patrols.
According to Armenian information, the delivery of fallen soldiers will continue. It was not clear at first how many bodies were exchanged on Saturday. Azerbaijan only mentioned number six that Armenia had transferred.
Murdered not yet identified
According to the Armenian Ministry of Health in the capital Yerevan, the bodies of more than 2,300 dead have already been examined by a coroner. Some have yet to be identified, the ministry said on Facebook. The Karabakh authorities recently estimated the number of soldiers killed at 1,383. The Azerbaijani army initially did not provide any information on losses in its own ranks with a view to censorship during martial law.
Meanwhile, talks between Russia and Turkey on a ceasefire monitoring center were suspended on Saturday. They will continue in the next few days. This was announced by the Turkish Ministry of Defense. Negotiations had started the day before in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Turkey should have a corridor to an enclave
The agreement between the two warring countries, against which there is fierce resistance from the Armenian population, also provides for an important point for Turkey: a corridor from Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan enclave. This gives Azerbaijan a land connection with Turkey and Ankara’s access to the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh 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.
