Azerbaijani soldiers fired a mortar at the Nagorno-Karabakh region contact line on Sunday. | Photo credit: AP
Key points
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has reportedly sent his troops to fight alongside the Turkish army and the Azerbaijani army in Agdam.
- The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has escalated to a point where both Armenia and Azerbaijan have resorted to heavy bombardment, mobilizing tanks and drones to exercise supremacy.
- So far, more than 100 people have died in the brutal war, of which around 20 are civilian victims.
Yerevan: Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been enemies over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Although the international community considers it part of Azerbaijan, Armenia has a claim on the land as the traditional inhabitants are Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks.
The region had declared its independence from Azerbaijan after a bloody war in the early 1990s in which more than 30,000 people died.
Now that Turkey has pledged support to Azerbaijan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly accused Armenia of being responsible for the unrest in the region, the floodgates have been opened for a full-blown war.
While both Armenia and Azerbaijan are states that came out of the former USSR, Russia has always been an ally of the Armenians.
Why is Pakistan meddling in Nagorno-Karabakh?
Reports have claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan has sent his troops to fight alongside the Turkish army and the Azerbaijani army in Agdam.
According to a telephone conversation between two inhabitants of the area, Free News.AM He reported that two Azerbaijanis mentioned the presence of Pakistanis in the territory.
How can we write? I don’t have money. We’re fine, don’t worry, 7-8 peoples were liberated, don’t be afraid… Yes. I know. I have seen on Instagram that Fizuli, Agdam have been released from the occupation. Our side says that we have also taken Mrav Mountain. On the Agdam side, they have rounded up Pakistani soldiers and led them towards Agdam, ”locals were heard saying.
Economically poor Pakistan has been receiving conditional aid and support from many West Asian countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Pakistan was also the second country after Turkey to recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan in 1991, and since then it has maintained healthy military relations with the country.
Meanwhile, Ankara has also been assisting Islamabad in the Kashmir speech, much to the chagrin of India. And an indebted Pakistan returns the favor by pledging its support for Turkey in its misadventures in West Asia, including providing military support in Syria and other neighboring states.
Erdogan’s loose cannon in Kashmir
Last week, Erdogan told the United Nations General Assembly that “the Kashmir conflict, which is also key to South Asian stability and peace, remains a hot topic.”
“We are in favor of solving this problem through dialogue within the framework of United Nations resolutions, especially in line with the expectations of the people of Kashmir,” he had said.
India condemned this statement, saying that “it constitutes a serious interference in the internal affairs of India and is completely unacceptable. Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect more deeply on their policies.
New Delhi has continued to advise Ankara to refrain from interfering in our internal affairs and to develop a better understanding of democratic practices.
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Armenia and Azerbaijan have had military escalations in the disputed region since 1991. But the conflict recently escalated after the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Amerbaijan attacked civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh that killed about 20 people, including a woman and a child.
However, Azerbaijan claimed that all five members of the family died due to the Armenian bombardment.
The situation has escalated to a point where both countries have resorted to heavy bombardment, mobilizing tanks and drones to exercise supremacy.
Shushan Stepanyan, the Armenian press secretary at the country’s Defense Ministry, even said on Tuesday that due to the escalating scenario, Armenia will be forced to use “weapons systems of greater range and destructive power.”
So far, more than 100 people have died in the brutal war, of which around 20 are civilian victims.
Global projector
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is one of many international leaders who have called for an immediate ceasefire between the two countries.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, also addressed the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and demanded “meaningful negotiations”.
“The need for an immediate cessation of fighting and resumption without the precondition of meaningful negotiations without delay under the umbrella of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, and also for the immediate redeployment of [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] monitors to the region, “Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.
