Armenian separatists agree to ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh following intense military strikes by Azerbaijan
Separatist Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed to a ceasefire, ending two days of bitter fighting after Azerbaijan launched intense military attacks to take control of the disputed enclave.
Azerbaijani authorities said they had halted their “anti-terrorist operation” after separatist officials announced they would lay down their arms, allaying fears that decades of tensions in the region could spiral into a full-scale war.
An hour after the ceasefire was announced, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the intensity of hostilities in the region had “decreased dramatically.”
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the start of the operation, hours after four soldiers and two civilians were killed in landmine explosions in the region disputed by Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Azerbaijan insisted that ‘oHowever, only legitimate military targets were ‘incapacitated’ Ethnic Armenian officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Stepanakert and other villages had come under “heavy shelling,” killing dozens and wounding hundreds.
In this Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, file photo, an ethnic Armenian soldier stands guard next to the Nagorno-Karabakh flag atop the hill near Charektar in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, on a new border with the Kalbajar district handed over to Azerbaijan
Drone attacks and artillery shells reportedly hit areas around Stepanakert yesterday
Ethnic Armenians in the area have criticized world powers for standing by and not acting as hostilities boiled over, claiming civilians were being threatened.
Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Ombudsman Geghan Stepanyan said 32 people, including seven civilians, were killed and more than 200 others were injured.
Stepanyan said earlier that one child was among the dead, and 11 children were among the injured.
The hostilities also worsened an already grim humanitarian situation for residents who faced food shortages for months following the Azerbaijani blockades.
Separatist forces on the ground said Azerbaijan had broken through their lines and captured a number of heights and strategic intersections.
The self-proclaimed ‘Republic of Artsakh’ said it had no choice under such circumstances but to cease hostilities from 1pm local time on Wednesday.
“The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accept the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to cease fire,” the report said.
“With the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh, an agreement was reached on the complete cessation of hostilities from September 20, 2023 at 1 p.m..”
Russia has evacuated more than 2,000 civilians from the most dangerous areas of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Moscow Defense Ministry’s TASS news agency reported.
Nagorno-Karabakh shared a photo reportedly showing damaged apartment buildings in Stepanakert after the offensive by Azerbaijan
Russia has evacuated more than two thousand citizens from the most dangerous areas of Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS news agency reports.
‘All evacuated residents will be provided with places for temporary shelter and hot meals. In addition, doctors – specialists from the medical specialist detachment – provided assistance to injured residents,” the ministry said.
Azerbaijan began its operation against Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday after some of its troops were killed in what Baku said were attacks from the mountainous region.
Talks between Azerbaijani officials and the breakaway region’s ethnic Armenian authorities on the ‘reintegration’ of the area into Azerbaijan will now take place on Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
The enclave and extensive surrounding areas had been under ethnic Armenian control since the end of a separatist war in 1994, but Azerbaijan regained the territories and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh during the 2020 fighting.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the start of the operation, hours after four soldiers and two civilians were killed in landmine explosions in the region disputed by Azerbaijan and Armenia.
That ended with a ceasefire that saw Russian peacekeepers deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, Azerbaijan claims that Armenia has since smuggled weapons. The claims led to a blockade of the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, causing shortages of food and medicine.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the center of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, on Tuesday, blocking streets and demanding that authorities defend Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Some clashed with police, who reportedly used stun grenades.
A total of 34 people – 16 police officers and 18 civilians – were injured in the clashes, the Armenian Health Ministry said. About half of them are still receiving medical care, the ministry said.