Armenian commander refuses to cede positions in Karabakh to Azerbaijan – media



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The commander of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Karen Jalavyan, remained in his post along with a group of fighters, despite the fact that control of the territories had to be transferred to Azerbaijan.

One of the army commanders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Karen Jalavyan, with the call sign Kieha, refused to abandon positions that should be partially under the control of Azerbaijan. This was announced on November 13 by the Wargonzo Telegram channel, citing a source on the front lines.

According to the channel, the commander did not force his subordinates to stay with him: everyone who wanted to could leave the unit’s location. Some of the fighters stayed with him.



In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh, with the support of Armenia, declared its independence from Azerbaijan. This led to hostilities that lasted until 1994. The armed conflict ended with the signing of the Bishkek Protocol on an armistice and a ceasefire, but from time to time armed clashes broke out between the parties. During the conflict, more than 30 thousand people died in the region. Azerbaijan considers Nagorno-Karabakh as a territory occupied by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the biggest conflict in recent years broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenia of “large-scale provocation”, shelling of Azerbaijani army positions and announced the beginning of a “swift counteroffensive”. The Armenian authorities, in turn, declared that the Azerbaijani army had launched an offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh. During the conflict, the parties used tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft. There were reports of soldiers and civilians killed and injured.

Martial law was introduced both in Armenia and in certain regions of Azerbaijan. Both countries involved in the conflict announced mobilization.

Agreements on an armistice were reached in Nagorno-Karabakh on several occasions, but each time they were violated.

Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh “authorities” Vahram Poghosyan November 9 reported that the army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic no longer controls the key city of Shusha, and the Azerbaijani troops were on the outskirts of Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh.

On the night of November 10, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a declaration to end the war in Karabakh. According to the agreements, 1960 Russian peacekeepers, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 military and special vehicles will be deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Prime Minister of Armenia said that this decision was extremely difficult for him, but that there was no alternative. Aliyev stressed that Pashinyan was “forced” to sign a document “more beneficial” for Baku. Following the signing of agreements to resolve the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, representatives of the Armenian opposition demanded Pashinyan’s resignation.



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