Discussions Commence Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh’s Future as Azerbaijan Asserts Complete Dominion Over the Area

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Officials from Nagorno-Karabakh and the government of Azerbaijan are convening this Thursday to deliberate over the fate of the disputed region, which Azerbaijan contends it has wholly subjugated subsequent to a military campaign earlier this week.

Both Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and the Azerbaijan State News Agency indicate that Thursday’s dialogue between the regional and Azerbaijani leaders will center on the “re-incorporation” of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.

The negotiations have been initiated in the wake of an agreement by local Armenian armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh to disarm, following the most recent flare-up of hostilities in the enduring struggle for separatism.

According to official Azerbaijani sources, a Nagorno-Karabakh delegation, escorted by Russian peacekeepers, reached the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh—located approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital, Stepanakert—for discussions.

The autonomous ethnic Armenian enclave, which has governed itself without international legitimacy since hostilities erupted in the early 1990s, announced on Wednesday around noon that its self-defense forces would demobilize and dissolve pursuant to a Russian-mediated ceasefire.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev proclaimed success in a nationally televised speech, asserting that Azerbaijan’s military forces had reinstated the territory’s sovereignty.

On the following Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry disclosed that approximately 5,000 civilians had been relocated to a camp overseen by Russian peacekeepers to evade combat. Many others assembled on Wednesday at Stepanakert’s airport, contemplating exit from the troubled region.

At France’s behest, an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council was arranged for Thursday to address the Azerbaijani military’s actions.

Earlier in the week, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated an artillery onslaught and drone strikes against pro-Armenian troops, who were already disadvantaged and inadequately supplied due to a blockade of the region, situated in the southern Caucasus Mountains and internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.

The human rights ombudsman for Nagorno-Karabakh, Gegham Stepanyan, revealed that at least 200 individuals, inclusive of 10 civilians, perished and over 400 sustained injuries during the conflict. He had earlier indicated that the casualties included children. The figures await independent verification.

The military actions have further exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation for inhabitants, who have been grappling with scarcities of food and medical supplies for an extended period, owing to Azerbaijan’s embargo on the roadway linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced in a national address that hostilities had subsided after the truce, underscoring that Russian peacekeepers in the region were wholly accountable for safeguarding local residents.

Pashinyan, who had previously acknowledged Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the region, clarified that Armenia had not participated in the negotiations but had “taken note” of the decisions reached by the separatist authorities of the region. He reiterated the absence of Armenian military forces in the area, contradicting claims from separatist officials that Armenian troops were present and would withdraw as stipulated by the ceasefire.

Civil demonstrations persisted for a second consecutive day in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, with protesters obstructing roadways and urging the government to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby expressed “deep concern” about Azerbaijan’s military undertakings, emphasizing the unacceptability of the use of force and noting the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Amidst Azerbaijan’s actions to reassert control over Nagorno-Karabakh, apprehensions have intensified that a full-scale war could recommence between the two neighboring countries, which have been embroiled in a dispute over the territory since a separatist war concluded in 1994.

During a separate six-week conflict in 2020, Azerbaijan reclaimed extensive portions of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories that had been occupied by Armenian forces for decades. The war culminated in a Russian-brokered peace accord, and Moscow deployed roughly 2,000 peacekeeping troops to the region.

Prominent regional actors, including Russia and Turkey, have been pulled into the longstanding conflict. While Russia has played the mediator, Turkey has backed its longstanding ally, Azerbaijan.

In spite of Russia’s traditionally close relationship with Armenia, Pashinyan has increasingly criticized Moscow for its perceived failures to defend Nagorno-Karabakh and has advocated for Armenia’s closer ties with Western powers.

French President Emmanuel Macron engaged in dialogue with President Aliyev and condemned Azerbaijan’s use of military force, emphasizing its potential to aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the region and impede ongoing peace efforts.

Azerbaijan’s presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev stated that Baku is prepared to discuss the humanitarian requirements of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population.

Upon announcing its military operation, Azerbaijan enumerated an array of accusations against pro-Armenian forces, including attacks on its military positions and the planting of land mines.

Even as President Aliyev insisted that Azerbaijani forces exclusively targeted military installations, separatist officials in Nagorno-Karabakh reported that Stepanakert and other locations had suffered from “heavy artillery fire.”

Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office disclosed that Armenian forces attacked Shusha, a city in Nagorno-Karabakh that is under Azerbaijani control, resulting in civilian casualties.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

More about Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

• Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: An Overview
• Role of Russian Peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh
• U.N. Security Council’s Approach to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
• Humanitarian Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh
• Statements from Armenian and Azerbaijani Leaders
• International Reactions to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
• Civilian Impact of the Recent Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh
• Long-Term Implications of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
• Azerbaijan’s Military Actions Against Pro-Armenian Forces
• Public Opinion and Protests in Armenia