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Sunday 15 November 2020
The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh is over and families greet the fallen. As many residents are returning to the conflict region, an attempted attack on the head of the Armenian government is reported. The situation remains tense despite the ceasefire.
According to their own account, the Armenian security services thwarted an attack on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This was announced by the national security service of Yerevan, as reported by the Russian agency Tass. An unspecified group was said to have been arrested and a weapons depot unearthed. According to this, an attack on Pashinyan and a “subsequent takeover” was expected, as this group did not agree with the domestic and foreign policy of the head of the government.
No further details were provided. Just a few days ago, Pashinyan called for an end to the fighting in the Caucasian region of Nagorno-Karabakh and for help from Moscow. This was interpreted by his opponents in the country as a surrender to the Azerbaijani offensive. There have been repeated protests in Yerevan.
Following the arrival of Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict region in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan and Armenia delivered several fallen soldiers on Saturday. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced in the capital Baku that these soldiers were killed in the fighting for the recaptured city of Shusha from Azerbaijan.
People burn their homes
Meanwhile, several people who fled the fighting have returned to the capital, Stepanakert. It was possible to see videos of how women and children in particular, as well as older residents, boarded eleven buses and were brought back to Nagorno-Karabakh. When they arrived, some of them were hugging their loved ones. The tears flowed. In the evening the Russian Defense Ministry spoke of 250 returnees.
On the other hand, there were previous reports from other areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that the residents had fled because these regions would have to go to Azerbaijan. As a result, people often burned their homes. “We don’t want Azeris to live in our houses,” a resident of the village of Charektar said, according to local media.
Earlier in the week, after several weeks of fierce fighting, Russia-mediated Armenia and Azerbaijan reached an agreement to end all fighting. For example, it envisages the return to Azerbaijan of larger areas that were previously under Armenia’s control. The deal was seen as a defeat for Armenia and a victory for Azerbaijan. The centerpiece of the agreement is the deployment of some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. They should monitor compliance with the ceasefire.
“We don’t hear more shots”
Commander Rustam Muradow said on Saturday, according to the Interfax agency, that there has been no more fighting. “No gunshots are heard today. The situation is slowly stabilizing.” This was welcomed by Kremlin head Vladimir Putin during phone calls with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, as announced by the Kremlin in Moscow. The two politicians had reached an agreement on the deal through Putin’s mediation. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is calm. In an interview with Aliyev, the Russian president particularly stressed the protection of Christian churches and monasteries, he said.
Most of the peacekeepers have now taken up positions, including in the Armenian-controlled capital Stepanakert. The Russian Defense Ministry announced that twelve observation posts have now been set up. In addition, the military police started patrols. According to Armenian information, the surrender of fallen soldiers will continue. At first it was not clear how many bodies had been exchanged on Saturday. Azerbaijan only mentioned number six that Armenia had transferred.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Health in the capital Yerevan, the bodies of more than 2,300 dead have already been examined forensics. Some have not yet been identified, the ministry said on Facebook. The latest authorities in Karabakh indicated that the number of soldiers killed was 1383. In view of the censorship during martial law, the Azerbaijani army initially did not provide information on losses in its ranks.
The talks are suspended for the time being
Meanwhile, talks between Russia and Turkey on a ceasefire surveillance center were suspended on Saturday. They must continue in the next few days. This was announced by the Turkish defense ministry. The negotiations had started the day before in the Turkish capital Ankara.
The agreement between the two warring countries, against which there is fierce resistance from the Armenian population, also includes an important point for Turkey: a corridor from Azerbaijan to its enclave of Nakhichevan. This provides Azerbaijan with a land link with Turkey and Ankara’s access to the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh with around 145,000 inhabitants in a war after the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago. Since 1994 there has been a fragile ceasefire. In the new war, Azerbaijan took over much of the area. The country has relied on international law and has seen the support of its “brother state”, Turkey. Armenia, in turn, relies on Russia as a protecting power.
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