Azerbaijan launched “counter-terrorism measures of a local nature” in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, accusing Armenia of amassing troops in the disputed region. Yerevan has denied fielding any troops in the area, which is de jure considered to be part of Azerbaijan.
Armenia accused its neighbor of starting “another large-scale aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” and alleged Baku is seeking to subject the region, predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians, to “ethnic cleansing.”
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20 September 2023
Nagorno-Karabakh has announced a ceasefire with Azerbaijan. According to the authorities of the breakaway region, the agreement with Baku is to take effect at 1pm local time on Wednesday.
More than 2,000 civilians have been evacuated from Nagorno-Karabakh, more than half of them children, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, which has a sizeable peacekeeping contingent in the region.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that its military “successfully continued” the “anti-terrorist activities” in Nagorno-Karabakh. It claimed that Baku’s forces had neutralized combat positions, military vehicles, artillery and anti-aircraft missile launchers, radio-electronic combat stations, and other military equipment belonging to Armenia. Yerevan has denied having any armed formations in the disputed region.
According to RIA Novosti news agency, the protesters have left the Republic Square in Yerevan by Wednesday morning.
An angry mob clashed with police officers outside the government headquarters overnight, demanding the resignation of PM Pashinyan.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that “anti-terrorist activities will be stopped” if “the formations of the Armenian armed forces stationed in the Karabakh region” surrender.
The Armenian Defense Ministry earlier denied that its troops were present in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan’s close ally Türkiye has said that Baku had launched its operation “in response to the long-standing armed attacks and provocations by illegitimate Armenian armed elements” in Karabakh.
At the same time, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stressed that “the comprehensive negotiation process” is the only way to achieve a lasting peace in the region.
19 September 2023
According to Gegham Stepanyan, the top human rights official in Nagorno-Karabakh, seven civilians were killed as of 3 am local time on Wednesday. The victims include three women and two children, he said.
A total of 35 people were injured, including 15 women and 13 children, Stepanyan added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke over the phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, also calling for the end of hostilities.
“There is no military solution and that the parties must resume dialogue to resolve outstanding differences between Baku and ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Blinken said, according to the readout by the State Department.
Moscow has reiterated its call for a ceasefire. “The Russian side strongly urges the sides of the conflict to end the bloodshed, immediately stop the fighting and return to the path of the political and diplomatic resolution [of the conflict],” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
Armenia has lodged a complaint to the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, accusing Baku of “large-scale aggression” against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian media reported, citing officials.
At least 34 people, including 16 police officers, have been injured during the clashes in central Yerevan, according to the Armenian Health Ministry.
Protesters tried to erect tents in Yerevan’s government quarter in an apparent attempt to turn the ongoing rally against Pashinyan into a permanent protest. The move prompted new scuffles between law enforcement and protesters, which resulted in the dismantling of the tents, footage from the scene shows.
The Russian Embassy in Yerevan has been “blockaded” by protesters blaming the Nagorno-Karabakh situation on Moscow, the mission said. The work of the embassy is disrupted. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has been notified of the situation and has been urged by Russian diplomats to take measures to resolve it as soon as possible.
The Armenian national security service has warned of mass protests set to be staged across the country. Earlier in the day, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan alleged the country was facing a potential “coup,” as hundreds of protesters gathered in central Yerevan demanding his resignation, as well as urging the government to provide military aid to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijani forces have broken through the lines of forces stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh in multiple places, Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, told Reuters. The official said Baku was ready to talk to leaders of the region only once they surrender and disarm.
“The intention of Azerbaijan is to close a chapter of animosity and confrontation. Enough is enough. We cannot tolerate any longer having such armed forces on our territory and also a structure which, on a daily basis, challenges the security and sovereignty of Azerbaijan,” Hajiyev stated.
Dutch flagship airline KLM has canceled five flights over Azerbaijan amid the ongoing escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh. All of the affected flights were heading from The Netherlands to Asian destinations. One of the planes, bound for Tokyo, returned to Amsterdam mid-flight. Late on Tuesday, the company said it was accessing the situation and promised to provide an update to customers shortly.
The leader of the Mother Armenia opposition alliance, Andranik Tevanyan, has called for the deposing of Nikol Pashinyan, arguing that the PM should be impeached. The politician squarely blamed the ongoing crisis on Pashinyan, stating that it was triggered by the PM’s decision to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.
The Nagorno-Karabakh escalation prompted unrest in Yerevan, with protesters demanding PM Nikol Pashinyan resign and send military aid to the breakaway region. The protesters attempted to breach government buildings and disrupt traffic, facing off against massive police forces deployed into the capital.