Nagorno-Karabakh: Russia deploys peacekeepers in the region

Hundreds of Russian peacekeepers have been deployed in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave following a deal to end the conflict in the region.

Heavy fighting between Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces had been going on for weeks until the two sides agreed on a Russian-brokered peace deal on Monday.

The enclave is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani, but has been run by ethnic Armenians since 1994.

The peace agreement sparked joyous scenes in Azerbaijan and outrage in Armenia.

Under its terms, Azerbaijan will seize some of the territories it took over during the conflict. Armenia also signaled its readiness to withdraw from some other adjacent areas in the next few weeks.

Overall, the deal should be read as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, says the BBC’s Orla Gurin in Baku.

Protesters in Armenia have damaged official buildings and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nicole Pashinya.

The peace agreement, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia, came into force on Tuesday from 01:00 (21:00 GMT Monday) local time.

During a televised address, President Putin said Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to patrol the front lines. Ten planes carrying the first wave of troops took off from an airbase in Ulyanovsk early Tuesday morning.

At least 2,000 Russian troops will eventually become active in the region and guard the “Lachin Corridor” that connects the capital of Karabakh, Stepanakert, with Armenia. Ninety armed personnel carriers will also be deployed as part of the renewable five-year mission.

Mr Putin said the agreement would allow prisoners of war to be exchanged, “blocking all economic and transport links.”

Moscow has a military alliance with Armenia and has a military base there, but it also has close ties with Azerbaijan and sells arms to both countries.

Turkey, which has openly supported Azerbaijan, will also take part in the peace process, according to the Azerbaijani president who joined Mr Putin during the speech. However the role that Turkey will play is unclear.

By Orla Guerin, BBC News, Baku

Baku has a mood of national celebration. Memorial to the fallen soldiers of Azerbaijan – the crowd is growing in the sea of ​​flag waving in the martyrs’ alley.

There is a real sense here that after a very long fight a key victory has been achieved. Groups are mesmerized and singing the national anthem.

Two young students have a homemade sign that reads: “Tell the world we’re coming home.” It’s a home they’ve never seen. His parents were driven from Nagorno-Karabakh about 30 years ago, but now he intends to move there to build a new life.

Asked if they could imagine living together with the Armenians, one replied that this could take decades. “Our kids can see this,” he said.

However, as both sides took steps to reduce tensions last year, fighting broke out in late September and many attempts to end the conflict failed.

Over the weekend, the Azerbaijani said it had taken control of the main city of Shusha, known as the Armenian Shushi.

Military analysts say the city is strategically important because it could serve as a well-positioned staging post to attack the main city of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanekart, military analysts say.

When Armenia denied the city was lost, Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic Armenian leader Areik Harutyunyan said on Tuesday that his army had little choice but to sign a peace agreement given the situation on the ground.

On Facebook, he said fighting was already going on in the area outside Stepnecart and the entire Karabakh would have been lost if the conflict had continued. “We will suffer a lot,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Mr. Pashinya, said that the signing of this agreement is extremely painful for me and for our people.

He added: “The decision was made on the basis of a deep analysis of the combat situation and in collaboration with the best experts.”

Azerbaijani President Aliyev, meanwhile, said the agreement was of “historic historical significance” and was tantamount to “capturing” by Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called it a “sacred success.”

But France’s Emmanuel Macron hoped the deal would “safeguard Armenia’s interests” and called on Turkey to “end its provocations” over the conflict.

France is home to a large Armenian community and Mr Macron said the country was “with Armenia at this difficult time”.

By Yuri Wendyk, BBC Russian, Yerevan

It was a night of unrest and unrest in the Armenian capital, where crowds of protesters stormed government buildings and the country’s parliament.

But by Tuesday morning, that anger seemed to have died down.

Leading politicians, with the exception of Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan, are in talks to find a way out of this deep crisis. And this is a crisis: defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh is a catastrophe

Protesters gathered here overnight, accusing the government of treason. They believe the fight should continue till the end and they are confident of victory.

But Nagorno-Karabakh did not have such optimism. The enclave’s leadership had previously admitted that if the fighting had continued, the main town of Stepnecart would have been lost in a matter of days.

It is not clear exactly how many people died during the fighting flames. Both parties deny targeting civilians but accuse the other of doing so.

Nagorno-Karabakh officials say about 1,200 defense forces have been killed in the fighting, and civilians have also been killed or wounded.

Azerbaijan has not released its military casualty figures, but said more than 80 civilians had been killed in the fighting – including 21 in a missile strike on the city of Barda last month.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin said last month that about 1,000 people had been killed in the fighting.