Strange States: Nagorno-Karabakh & Nakhchivan
Azerbaijan’s Unopposed Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh gave their Israeli allies a Green Light in Gaza
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“Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused neighboring Azerbaijan on Thursday of ‘ethnic cleansing’ as tens of thousands of people fled the Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. Pashinyan predicted that all ethnic Armenians would flee the region in ‘the coming days’ amid an ongoing Azerbaijani military operation there.” (cbsnews.com 9/28/23)
Many are familiar with the second war between the strange state of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. It began on September 27, 2020 and ended after a November 10 ceasefire agreement by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, with the latter supplying peacekeeping forces to secure the 3-mile wide Lachin corridor linking Goris, Armenia and the internationally unrecognized breakaway Republic of Artsakh, containing Nagorno-Karabakh and its capital Stepanakert:
“Along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation shall be deployed in the amount of 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, and 380 units of the automobile and special equipment.”
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh fought for six weeks, with heavy casualties inflicted on both sides from drones, cluster munitions and ballistic missiles, but with the Azeris ultimately gaining ground through the military support of NATO’s Turkey and Al Qaeda jihadis from Syria’s Idlib Province (part of Erdogan’s neo-Ottomanism through the Organization of Turkic States).
Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the landlocked, de facto Independent Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (an exclave of ethnic Armenians within the contiguous borders of Azerbaijan separated from Armenia by the Karabakh Range) has remained disputed territory since their first war in the early 1990s after the breakup of the Soviet Union (in which 30,000 died and over a million were displaced).
The flipside to Nagorno-Karabakh is the equally strange state of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked part of Azerbaijan southwest of Yerevan along the Iranian border. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation has claimed this Azerbaijani exclave as part of their country, so regional tensions remain high.
The November 10, 2020 ceasefire agreement contained a dual corridor peace guarantee, with the Lachin route from Armenia to Artsakh secured by Russia counterbalanced by the Meghri Corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan running along the Armenian/Iranian border.
The name Artsakh purportedly stems from the Kingdom of Greater Armenia (321 BCE to 428 CE) and its King Artaxias (180-160 BCE), but the history interwoven throughout the region is so complex it’s easiest to begin with the Karabakh Khanate, a suzerain of Iran becoming a Russian protectorate under Tsar Alexander I in 1805 after the signing of the Kurekchay Treaty. Iran then ceded complete control of the region through the Treaty of Gulistan after losing the lengthy Russo-Persian War (1804-13). The Karabakh region became populated by a majority of Armenians after the Transcaucasus became part of the Russian Empire in 1828 following the Treaty of Turkmenchay ended the second Russo-Persian War (1826-28).
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Nagorno-Karabakh became part of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, but its three culturally distinct regions (Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan) began fighting amongst themselves during the chaos of WWI. Following the collapse of the Russian Empire the First Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh declared its own government in 1918, which prompted the Ottoman Turks to invade on behalf of their Azeri Muslim brothers.
Inspired by the Ottoman genocide of their people in the preceding years, the Armenians fought them off (their Apostolic Church the first branch of Christianity to become a state religion in 301 CE). The British occupied the territory following the Ottoman defeat in WWI, handing over political control to an Azeri governor-general until the Paris Peace Conference concluded. The Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh would not concede and continued guerrilla warfare against the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic until their National Assembly voted in 1920 to become part of the First Republic of Armenia.
The Soviets took over Azerbaijan in 1920 (including Nagorno-Karabakh) then Armenia and Georgia in 1921. The Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party declared the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (province) would become part of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1923. The Soviet oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh was drawn to ensure an Armenian majority and remains the heart of the larger breakaway Republic of Artsakh that exists today despite recent Azerbaijani war gains.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence with its population desiring unification with Armenia. This was rejected by newly independent Azerbaijan, which led to the first Nagorno-Karabakh War that ended in a ceasefire arbitrated by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group in May 1994. Ethnic Armenians secured the Azeri districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh during this campaign, thus creating the Republic of Artsakh. The second war, which began in September 2020, ended with ethnic Armenians agreeing to withdraw from some of Artsakh’s territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as long as the Russians secured the Lachin link with Armenia.
The Republic of Artsakh uses the dram, the currency of Armenia, has a Presidential Democracy and legislature, the Artsakh Defense Army and is a member of the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States (along with Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia).
Nakhchivan, like Karabakh, was a khanate of Iran before becoming part of the Russian Empire in 1828 with the signing of the Treaty of Turkmenchay following the second Russo-Persian war. Again, like Nagorno-Karabakh, it became part of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, but internecine warfare commenced immediately bringing on the collapse of the Republic in May 1918. When the Ottomans occupied the region peace returned, but after the British favored the Azeris during the Paris Peace talks violence returned.
In 1920, after the Bolsheviks secured the region, they agreed with the Azeris that Nakhchivan would become part of Armenia. A year later Lenin recognized that the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic had close ties with the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. That close relationship continued until Nakchivan declared independence from the Soviet Union in support of an independent Azerbaijan in 1990.
In the most recent war Nagorno-Karabakh lost 4,088 soldiers while 2,800 Azerbaijanis were killed after it spent billions on sophisticated hardware, mostly from Turkey and Israel. 541 Turkey-imported Syrian Jihadis from Idlib also died in the war, fighting for Azerbaijan. As Brett McGurk - the U.S. government's Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (Daesh, ISIS) stated at a Middle East Institute conference: “Idlib Province is the largest Al Qaeda safe haven since 9/11”.
“According to our military, in addition to the Azerbaijani army units, Syrian mercenaries and terrorists, special units of the Turkish army are involved in the attacks. We have information that 150 high level Turkish military officers are in different Azerbaijani command centers and control the military operations,” Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said on October 3, 2020. (armenpress.am/eng/news)
The war was a successful campaign for the Azerbaijanis and a defeat for Nagorno-Karabakh, as they won back much of the Republic of Artsakh both on the battlefield and through the ceasefire agreement.
“But according to the Moscow-brokered peace deal inked in November, it got back strategic swaths of Nagorno-Karabakh, including seven districts around the mountainous region that used to be populated by ethnic Azeris but became a no-man’s land dotted with ghost towns and minefields. How did Azerbaijan manage to triumph? “It was a technological victory,” Alexey Malashenko, a Moscow-based political expert said.
Azerbaijan used Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones that carry laser-guided bombs and have been battle-tested in Syria and Lybia; Israeli reconnaissance and patrol Heron and Hermes UAVs, and, lastly, “kamikaze” Orbiter drones also made in Israel. Reconnaissance drones helped aim artillery fire that forced the Armenians to retreat.” (Al Jazeera 12/22/2020)
As a result of the 2020 peace agreement between the warring parties, Armenia agreed to allow unobstructed passage of traffic between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan through the Zangezur Corridor, ensured by Russian peacekeepers, the historic guarantors of Armenian security.
Also in the ceasefire agreement the Armenians agreed to relinquish military control of Nagorno-Karabakh by handing over security to the Russian Federation for a five-year period and ceding the Republic of Artsakh districts of Aghdam and Kalbajar to the Azerbaijanis.
“The pact saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades in what was seen in Armenia as a national humiliation, sparking weeks of mass anti-government protests.“ (france24.com)
In February 2022 legislation was presented to the Republic of Artsakh National Assembly addressing the occupation of many of its districts by Azerbaijani forces: “With the help of Turkey and international terrorist organizations, Azerbaijan started a war and occupied a large part of the Artsakh Republic. We need to talk about the legal status of those territories, the rights of our compatriots, be it the right to life, the right to property, etc.,” head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction, Artur Musiyan, said.
What will Azerbaijan’s occupation of much of Artsakh mean for its ethnic Armenian population: “Hatred for Armenians amongst Azeris and Turks has been known and well documented for over a century. From mass cleansing of Armenians, to rape, torture, decapitations and more vile acts, Armenians have seen it all from Turks and Azeris in the past. What will happen to Armenians who do not have the means to flee to Armenia from Artsakh?” (asbreakingnews.medium.com 11/20/20)
With all eyes on Ukraine, their most recent conflict doesn’t bode well for the tripartite ceasefire of November 10, 2020: “Since Friday afternoon, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces continue their gross violations of the ceasefire, and, in addition to firearms, are using combat drones – including the Bayraktar TB2s" – the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) defense ministry informed.
From the Armenian side, two contract servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army have fallen as a result of these actions by the adversary. And the number of wounded is being determined.” (Armenian News-NEWS.am)
Apparently ministers in Kiev requested Azerbaijan open a new front in the Caucasus after Russia transferred many of their peacekeeping forces from Nagorno-Karabakh to the war in Ukraine. No doubt, Azerbaijan views the Ukrainian conflict as an opportunity to attack and seize more territory.
“Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of seizing two villages, Khramort and Parukh – which the Azerbaijanis call Farukh – located on the armistice line which was established in 2020 between Azerbaijan and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). Armenian media claims that the ensuing firefight, which allegedly involved Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, resulted in more than a dozen wounded and three killed on its side, as well as an unspecified number of Azerbaijani casualties.
Baku denied the accusations, saying its troops were simply ‘continuing the process of clarifying their locations and positions without the use of force.’
However, on March 26, Russian peacekeepers, who are currently patrolling the NKR, reported that the Azerbaijani military had violated the ceasefire, launching airstrikes against forces of the breakaway region. Baku then accused Russia of taking a ‘one-sided’ view of the events. Blaming Armenia for the escalation, Azerbaijan claimed that it was responding to a ‘covert attack’ by the ‘illegal Armenian forces.’” (rt.com 3/31/22)
“Armenia and Azerbaijan are preparing for peace talks, officials in both countries said Thursday, after a flare-up last month in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region over which they fought a 2020 war.
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met Wednesday in Brussels for rare talks mediated by the European Council President Charles Michel.
The meeting came after a flare-up in Karabakh on March 25 that saw Azerbaijan capture a strategic village in the area under the Russian peacekeepers' responsibility, killing three separatist troops.” (france24.com 4/7/22)
“Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev called on Friday for negotiations to take place soon on a peace treaty with Armenia, but said Yerevan would need to renounce any territorial claim against his country, the Interfax news agency reported. Aliyev said the two former Soviet republics, which fought their last major war in 2020, could reach an agreement quickly if Armenia accepted the principles his country had set forward. ‘Armenia must officially recognise the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as well as the fact that it does not have any territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and will not have any in the future either,’ he was quoted as saying. Otherwise, ‘we will not recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia, we will announce it officially,’ he said.
Speaking to Armenia's parliament after Aliyev's comments, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he would not sign any peace deal with Azerbaijan without consulting ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.” (Reuters.com 4/22/22)
There were widespread protests in Yerevan as “Armenian opposition parties insist that the country's prime minister has given up the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan under international pressure.” (sputnik news.com 5/4/22)
“As it is known, in parallel with the rally of thousands on May 28 in Yerevan, a crowded march and rally also took place in [the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) capital] Stepanakert, where similarly thousands of Artsakh residents were expressing their dissatisfaction with the processes taking place in recent period.” (news.am 6/2/22)
“Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has completely ruined Russia-West relations, making Ukraine a battlefield of a proxy war between Russia and the US. There are concerns that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict may be transformed into another area of Russia-West geopolitical confrontation, ending the 25 years of cooperation between Russia, the US and France on this issue. The presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh, which increases Russian positions in the South Caucasus, and the US desire to weaken and eventually push Russia out from the post-Soviet space does not bode well for Nagorno Karabakh.” (armenianweekly.com 6/13/22)
“Turkey and Armenia have agreed to partially open their mutual land border, which has been closed for nearly three decades. The two countries announced on July 1, in identical statements, that they had agreed to ‘enable the crossing of the land border between Armenia and Turkey by third-country citizens visiting Armenia and Turkey respectively at the earliest date possible.’ The border has been closed since 1993, when Turkey closed it in support of Azerbaijan during the first war over Nagorno-Karabakh.” (eurasianet.org 7/5/22)
“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still needs a final settlement through negotiations under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has said in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
‘Despite the claims of the Azerbaijani authorities that after the 44-day war of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh does not exist as an entity anymore and that the conflict is over, the reality and the position of the international community prove the contrary: Nagorno-Karabakh does exist with its Armenian population, who continue to live in their ancestral land and whose security is now ensured by the Russian peacekeepers, in accordance with the November 9, 2020, trilateral statement, which stopped the devastating war,’ Mirzoyan said.” (panarmenia.net 7/9/22)
“On August 1, starting at 09:00, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces resorted to provocation in a number of sections of the northern and northwestern border zone of the Republic of Artsakh, attempting to cross the line of contact, Artsakh’s Defense Ministry reports. The attempts were prevented by the forces of the Defense Army. There are no losses on the Armenian side. The situation remains tense. Detailed information about the incident has been provided to the command of the Russian peacekeeping troops.” (en.armradio.am 8/1/22)
“Armed forces of Azerbaijan have conducted a military operation against the Nagorno-Karabakh militias that sought to ‘establish new combat positions’ in the region, the nation’s defense ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The Azerbaijani Army seized control over some ‘important commanding heights’ during what it called 'Operation Revenge,' it added.
The operation was launched after the local militias ‘grossly violated’ the 2020 ceasefire agreement between Yerevan and Baku, mediated by Moscow in 2020, the defense ministry added. Baku had earlier accused the Nagorno-Karabakh militias of attacking Azerbaijani positions in the region and confirmed the death of at least one soldier.” (rt.com 8/3/22)
“The ‘demilitarization’ of Nagorno-Karabakh remains an ‘absolute necessity,’ the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, as Baku carried out ‘Operation Revenge’ in the disputed region amid the latest spiral of tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Baku has ‘repeatedly stated’ that the continued presence of the Armenian troops and ‘illegal Armenian armed groups’ in the ‘territories of Azerbaijan’ remains a ‘source of danger,’ the statement said, adding that Azerbaijan considers the ‘complete withdrawal’ of Armenian forces and disarmament of the local militias an absolute necessity.” (rt.com 8/3/22)
“The Russian peacekeepers have registered four Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan over the past 24 hours. As a result, two Karabakh servicemen died, and 14 were injured, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The peacekeepers managed to solve the matter, no violation of the line of contact was allowed, the MoD added. Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was very concerned over the escalation in the region.” (sputniknews.com 8/4/22)
“Mount Buzdukh and the heights surrounding it came under the control of the Azerbaijani Army, the country's Defense Ministry said on Saturday, News.Az reports.‘As a result of the clarifications carried out by the Azerbaijan Army Units in the area, Mount Buzdukh and the high grounds around it came under the control of the Azerbaijan Army,’ the ministry noted.” (newsaz.com 8/6/22)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and security issues on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement. The Kremlin last week called for restraint from both sides after Azerbaijan said its forces had foiled an Armenian attack near the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but is largely controlled by ethnic Armenians with support from Armenia.” (nationalpost.com 8/8/22)
“Russian peacekeepers ‘will not move a single centimeter’ from the existing Lachin corridor until a new road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia is put into operation, according to a senior Russian diplomat in Yerevan.
‘Russian peacekeepers will move only at the moment when the new Lachin corridor is opened. The tripartite statement [from November 9, 2020] spells out the steps, the sequence of steps. First, the corridor is completed, and as it comes into operation, Russian peacekeepers take control of a five-kilometer corridor around this road,’ Maxim Seleznyov said.” (asbarez.com 8/18/22)
“‘Azerbaijan has reclaimed control of a strategic city on the edge of Nagorno-Karabakh’, the leader of Azerbaijan said Friday. President lham Aliyev said Azerbaijani forces have moved into the city of Lachin and two nearby villages. ‘I congratulate Lachin residents and the entire people of Azerbaijan,’ he tweeted.
Lachin sits on a road that has served as the main link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has reclaimed control of the city and the ‘Lachin corridor’ after building an alternate route in line with a Russia-mediated truce that ended a 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.” (abcnews.go.com 8/26/22)
“On Tuesday, the deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a joint meeting on border delimitation and border security in Moscow, and on Wednesday, a more important event will take place in Brussels, where the two countries’ leaders, Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, will meet with European Council President Charles Michel as a mediator. While the Moscow talks are meant to discuss the implementation of technical agreements, the issue of whether Yerevan and Baku are ready to sign a peace treaty that could end their 30-year-old conflict will be on the agenda in Brussels. Both meetings will be held in the wake of increased tensions in the conflict zone between Armenia and Azerbaijan seen in August.” (Tass.com 8/29/22)
“Hundreds marched from Freedom Square in Stepanakert to Renaissance Square to mark the 31st anniversary of proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh. The march was concluded with a rally. The event opened with the national anthem of the Republic of Artsakh. It was followed by words of blessing by Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, head of the Artsakh Diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church, who gave a word of blessing. ‘Justice elevates a nation, while sin destroys nations. These words from the Bible come to our mind when we think about the past, present and future of our country at this moment of revaluation of the independence of Artsakh. Independence is a divine gift which is the foremost and most vital requirement for a nation to live a dignified and creative life. In a perfect world, rights are the source of power, but unfortunately, today power begets right. Therefore, we are forced to protect our God-given rights and freedom by force,’ he said.” (en.armradio.am 9/2/22)
“Authorities in Stepanakert accused Azerbaijani forces of opening fire at two villages in Nagorno-Karabakh early on Monday amid signs of rising tensions in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zone. Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman, Gegham Stepanian, said the Armenian-populated villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard came under Azerbaijani fire that lasted for about 30 minutes. The automatic gunfire damaged three local houses but did not injure any of their civilian residents, he said. In a Facebook post, Stepanian portrayed the shooting as further proof of Baku’s continuing attempts to ‘terrorize people living in Artsakh and disrupt their normal life and activities.’” (azatutyun.am 9/12/22)
“Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the country’s parliament that 49 people had been killed in Azerbaijan’s attack. ‘Currently, according to the Defense Ministry, we have 49 people killed, however, this is not the final figure,’ he said at the parliament during an emergency address. Pashinyan specified that Azerbaijan had attacked Armenia’s borders (not Nagorno Karabakh) in seven directions. ‘At midnight, Azerbaijan attacked in four directions, then two-three more directions were added,’ he said.
According to the prime minister, a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is currently underway. ‘As you know, we turned to the CSTO and currently the CSTO Permanent Council meeting is underway. We also addressed Russia and the UN Security Council,’ he said.” (Tass.com 9/13/22)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin is eyeing the consequences of another conflict between two former Soviet Union nations after 99 Armenian soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani forces Tuesday. The Armenian Defense Ministry said at least 49 soldiers were killed in a shelling attack by Azerbaijani troops just after midnight. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, said that 50 of its service members died in a "large-scale provocation.” Fighting has continued off and on throughout the day despite calls for a cease-fire by Russia, which, according to the Kremlin’s press secretary, exerts significant influence in the region.” (foxnews.com 9/13/22)
“A ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan holds, according to Armenian officials, following two days of fighting that left dozens of soldiers killed from both sides. Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of ‘large-scale provocations’ in recent days, saying saboteurs planted mines and Armenian forces carried out ‘intensive’ firing on Azerbaijani positions. (Reuters Archive) Seventy-one Azerbaijani soldiers have been killed in recent days in ‘provocations’ by Armenia, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said. The ministry said on Thursday that so far, 71 Azerbaijani soldiers have died during the recent flare-up, while Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Wednesday that 105 Armenian soldiers were killed in the clashes. Following the recent flare-up in the region, Türkiye reiterated its support to Azerbaijan.” (entornointeligente.com 9/15/22)
It is a well-established fact that the wars imposed upon the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in the course of 30 years by Azerbaijan were marked by ethnic cleansing and massacres. Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy and hatred remarkably manifested itself during the war in fall 2020. The wartime statements of Azerbaijani politicians called for the killing and extermination of the entire civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh. The anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan was demonstrated also by the widespread destruction of Armenian cultural heritage sites, which aimed at the erasure of Armenian history in Nagorno-Karabakh. This racist policy continues in depriving the Armenian PoWs and civilian detainees of their basic human rights.
“Azerbaijan never waists an opportunity to resort to intimidation against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, Azerbaijan used loudspeakers coercing the residents to leave their homes. Azerbaijan launched a war of aggression against the Republic of Armenia few days ago. A number of UN member states urged Azerbaijan to cease the hostilities. We hope these calls will sober Azerbaijan up. The constant attempts of Azerbaijan to carry out ethnic cleansing, either through explicit military aggression or through depriving Armenians of their basic human rights, violate numerous norms of international law. In no circumstances should the international community give a blank license to Azerbaijan to pursue its ethnic cleansing campaign.” (Delivered by Deputy Permanent Representative Nairi Petrossian to the HRC: Switzerland.mfa.am 9/16/22)
“US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived Saturday in Armenia, days after the Caucasus country's deadly border clashes with Azerbaijan jeopardised Western efforts to broker lasting peace between the arch foes. The worst clashes since Yerevan's 2020 war with Baku erupted on Tuesday, claiming the lives of 215 people, before hostilities ended on Thursday after international mediation. Pelosi said her visit ‘is a powerful symbol of the United States firm commitment to a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Armenia, and a stable and secure Caucasus region.’” (gulf-times.com 9/17/22)
“U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday strongly condemned what she said were "illegal" border attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia, using a visit to the Russian ally to pledge American support for its sovereignty. Pelosi cast her trip to Armenia, a sliver of land the size of U.S. state of Maryland that is wedged between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, as an attempt to strengthen support for what she cast as a beacon of democracy. "We strongly condemn those attacks," Pelosi said beside Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan, who last week expressed unhappiness with the response of a Russian-led military alliance to Yerevan's request for help.” (us news.com 9/18/22)
“The armed forces of Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire on the border with Armenia, the Armenian Defense Ministry’s press service said. ‘On September 20, units of the Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire, using small arms to fire in the eastward direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,’ the press service said in a statement.” (Tass.com 9/21/22)
“The Armenian Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Azerbaijan of mortar shelling of Armenian positions on the border. It said three Armenian soldiers were killed. In turn, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said the Azerbaijani military came under fire from the Armenian Armed Forces. Baku said one Azerbaijani soldier was wounded. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that ‘on September 28, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, illegally located on the sovereign territory of Armenia, using mortars and large-caliber weapons, once again grossly violating the ceasefire, opened fire on the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.’ The ministry called the incident ‘another provocation, which is a continuation of the large-scale aggression launched on September 13 against the territorial integrity of Armenia.’” (sputniknews.com 9/28/22)
Moscow sent comprehensive proposals on a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan to Baku and Yerevan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday. ‘Our comprehensive proposals were sent to Baku and Yerevan; as we have announced earlier, Russian Foreign Minister’s special representative Igor Khovayev made a series of visits to the region for consultations on this issue,’ she said.” (Tass.com 10/6/22)
“The EU will launch a two-month civilian mission to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in a bid to resolve a long-running dispute, according to a statement by the European Council published on Friday. ‘There was an agreement by Armenia to facilitate a civilian EU mission alongside the border with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate with this mission as far as it is concerned,’ the council’s announcement reads. The text explains that the civilian mission, which aims to ‘build confidence’ and ‘contribute to the border commissions’ will be dispatched to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan later this month, and last for a maximum of two months.” rt.com 10/8/22)
“The Armenian population living in Nagorno Karabakh must have the right to self-determination, Swiss Member of Parliament, Co-Chair of the Switzerland-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group Stefan Müller-Altermatt said at a press conference in the Armenian parliament. He emphasized that the right to self-determination is a very important point in terms of human rights.
‘We clearly see that there is an issue of people’s existence, and it is under threat. The political solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has simply been left out of the international community’s attention. A political solution must be found, and not resort to the help of weapons which will lead to new genocide. But Azerbaijan is clearly rejecting this, and we are struggling against this. There’s been an atmosphere of ethnic intolerance against Armenians for many years. And we can’t allow Azerbaijani control over the people of Nagorno Karabakh. This is not possible. And this must be clear for all parties,’ Stefan Müller-Altermatt said.” (armenpress.am 10/14/22)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan to Russia to discuss regional matters in the wake of recent tensions between Yerevan and Baku. According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who confirmed the news on Monday, Moscow is concerned about the ‘alarming trends’ in the region, ‘ where the West is clearly trying to transfer the confrontational schemes tested in Ukraine.’
‘The true goals of Washington and Brussels are by no means the search for a compromise or balanced solutions, but self-promotion and squeezing Russia out of the South Caucasus,’ Zakharova claimed. The same approach, she added, can be seen in apparent ‘attempts by external forces to sow enmity between Moscow and Yerevan’ and in their efforts ‘to discredit Russia’s policy in the region.’ The attempts by these ‘external forces’ to ensure the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Nagorno-Karabakh – a region that is at the center of the dispute between Yerevan and Baku – ‘are precisely aimed at destabilizing the South Caucasus,’ Zakharova said.” (rt.com 10/25/22)
“Armenia is not against the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue, but the people living there should first of all see, feel and accept that solution, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with ‘Public TV’.
‘If the Karabakh issue is resolved, then why don’t the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians feel it? If the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is resolved, why did the Azerbaijani troops set up positions around Nagorno-Karabakh and why are they shooting at Nagorno-Karabakh? This is a very important question, the substantive answer to which should receive both Armenia, and the international community. We are not against the Nagorno-Karabakh issue being resolved. We say that the solution should be seen, felt and accepted by the people living there. Why are they constantly under threat?" Pashinyan emphasized.’” (armenpress.am 11/11/22)
“Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev held a telephone conversation for the second time this week to discuss agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday. ‘Further steps to implement the entire range of trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia with an emphasis on practical issues of unblocking transport and economic ties in the region were considered,’ the statement said.
Putin and Aliyev previously spoke on November 22. Then the leaders discussed the implementation of trilateral agreements with Armenia to ensure security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and restore transport links in the South Caucasus. The next day, on November 23, Putin met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan.” (tass.com 11/26/22)
“Traffic on the only road into Nagorno-Karabakh briefly ground to a halt on December 3 after Azerbaijani officials moved to inspect vehicles traveling through the Lachin Corridor, amid growing pressure from Baku for Armenia to conclude an agreement recognizing its sovereignty over the Armenian-populated region.
Officials in the self-proclaimed government of Nagorno-Karabakh said that a group of Azerbaijanis in civilian clothes closed the road connecting the territory to Armenia late in the morning near the city of Shusha. The move meant that ‘120,000 people are now under blockade’ and that it could be a prelude to ‘humanitarian disaster and ethnic cleansing,’ Artak Beglaryan, a senior de facto Karabakh official said.” (euroasianet.com 12/3/22)
“Moscow is concerned about the Lachin Corridor being blocked and expects that this transport link will be re-opened soon, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on Thursday. ‘We are concerned about the blocking of the Lachin Corridor, caused by disagreements between the parties over the development of ore deposits. The Russian Defense Ministry and the Russian peacekeeping contingent have been vigorously working in recent days to de-escalate the situation. We hope for the full restoration of the transport link soon,’ the diplomat said.
Zakharova stressed that the Lachin Corridor ensures a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and is under the control of a Russian peacekeeping contingent. ‘In signing the statement of the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders of November 9, the parties undertook the respective commitments that they must fully comply with," she went on to say. ‘It is inadmissible to create problems for the livelihood of the civilian population,’ Zakharova stressed.
She also emphasized that accusations and acts of provocation against the Russian peacekeepers are inadmissible and counterproductive ‘no matter where they come from. The Russian peacekeeping contingent is efficiently carrying out its tasks, acting as a guarantor of stability in the region,’ Zakharova added.” (tass.com 12/15/22)
“Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said Armenia and Azerbaijan will have more incidents if one of them refuses to communicate. ‘These incidents - which are inevitable in any conflict and which need, of course, to be urgently considered and attempts should be made to settle them swiftly - they will recur longer if every time after any incident either of the sides will back out of negotiating rounds that have been agreed. That hasn’t ever done any good to anyone," he said at a news conference following talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
According to Lavrov, the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh is trying to resolve incidents in this region as soon as possible in full accordance with its mandate and offer concrete solutions.” (tass.com 12/23/22)
“By cutting off the only link to the outside world, Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh have been denied much needed supplies like food, medicine and heating gas, as temperatures drop to freezing levels. This burgeoning humanitarian situation has led Human Rights Watch and the Pope to voice their concern for the 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, including 30,000 children who are being deprived of basic human rights.
These actions further highlight how Azerbaijan continues to engage in a campaign of intimidation and fear against Armenians living in their ancestral homeland. Last winter, Baku turned to a similar playbook when they prevented Armenians from fixing a pipeline that was central in providing heating gas in subzero temperatures, after launching an illegal war against Armenia in the fall of 2020.” (jpost.com 1/3/23)
“Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan called on G20 countries to put pressure on Azerbaijan to unblock the Lachin corridor at the Voice of Global South virtual summit, the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service said on Friday.
‘Azerbaijan's ongoing provocations and aggressive actions show that the lack of proper accountability mechanisms only prompts Azerbaijan to question the international community's resolve and willingness to act. At the moment, our international partners, including members of the G20, need to put firm pressure on Azerbaijan to end its inhumane blockade of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and make Azerbaijan return to the negotiating table,’ he said.” (tass.com 1/13/23)
“The EU foreign ministers have agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) to promote settlement in the Caucasus, according to a press statement posed on the website of the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) on Monday. ‘The Council today agreed to establish a civilian European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). The objective of the Mission is to contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence on the ground, and ensure an environment conducive to normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU,’ the statement reads.” (tass.com 1/23/23)
“Armenia on Thursday accused Azerbaijan of conducting a ‘policy of ethnic cleansing’ and forcing ethnic Armenians to leave Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Baku of exerting ‘economic and psychological pressure to provoke an exodus of Armenians from Karabakh.’ Since mid-December, a group of Azerbaijanis has been blocking the only road into Karabakh from Armenia to protest what they claim is illegal mining causing environmental damage.
As a result, the Armenian majority mountainous region of some 120,000 people has been running short of food, medicines and fuel. Pashiyan said kindergartens, schools and universities remained closed in Karabakh due to the blockade, with thousands of students ‘being denied their fundamental right to education. This is a policy of ethnic cleansing,’ he told a cabinet meeting in the capital Yerevan.” (firstpost.com 1/26/23)
“Russia’s ‘peace-keeping’ troops in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are pursuing Moscow’s plan to transform the area into another Crimea. Since its emplacement in Nagorno-Karabakh after the September 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the 2,000-strong force has become a focal point for Russia’s continuing power projection in the South Caucasus.
By preventing Azerbaijan from retaking its territory, Moscow poses as the protector of Armenian interests, prevents a peace treaty from being signed between Baku and Yerevan and pushes for emplacing a more staunchly pro-Russian government in Armenia itself.” (thehill.com 1/27/23)
“Azerbaijan is opening a new front against Armenia — but this one involves legal briefs and claims of environmental damage, not tanks and rockets. Azerbaijan is alleging that Armenia despoiled the environment of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan that has been warred over for 30 years; in 2020, a surprise offensive by Azerbaijan recaptured large chunks of the region. It's not the first time that a country is using environmental litigation as a political avenue to seek reparations or to assert territorial claims.” (politico.eu 2/13/23)
“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to seize a ‘historic opportunity’ to end their decades-long dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The two countries have fought two wars for control of Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated enclave that have claimed tens of thousands of lives. Internationally mediated peace talks between the ex-Soviet republics have since produced little, if any, result. But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday said he had presented to arch-foe Baku a project for a full peace treaty to end the Caucasus neighbours' dispute.” (Barrons.com 2/18/23)
“On February 22, 2023, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, ordered provisional measures to ensure that Azerbaijan ends the blockage of the Lachin Corridor. The order, which has a binding effect, states that the Republic of Azerbaijan shall, pending the final decision in the case and in accordance with its obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.” (Forbes.com 2/25/23)
“A subversive attack by Azerbaijani forces in Artsakh on Sunday morning has left three Armenian police officers dead and one seriously injured. Artsakh’s Interior Ministry reported that the incident occurred near a place called Khapalu, not far from Stepanakert. The report dismissed claims by the Azerbaijani side alleging that ‘weapons were being transported from Armenia to Karabakh.’ According to the press release, the police officers were simply en route from Stepanakert to their assigned location.
‘An Azerbaijani sabotage group ambushed in a forest along the road and attacked a police car,’ the statement said. ‘The incident resulted in the deaths and injuries of both Armenian and Azerbaijani personnel.’ Artsakh’s Foreign Ministry called the attack a ‘flagrant violation’ of the November 2020 ceasefire statement and accused Azerbaijan of seeking to escalate tensions.” (civilnet.am 3/5/23)
“An investigation by Haaretz, based on publicly available aviation data, reveals that over the past seven years, 92 cargo flights flown by Azerbaijani Silk Way Airlines have landed at the Ovda airbase, the only airfield in Israel through which explosives may be flown into and out of the country. Israel has had a strategic alliance with Azerbaijan for the past two decades, and Israel sells the large Shi’ite-majority country weapons worth billions of dollars – and in return, Azerbaijan, per sources, supplies Israel with oil and access to Iran.” (haaretz.com 3/5/23)
“Russia is deeply concerned about escalating tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh and is calling on the sides to exercise restraint, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Monday. ‘We express serious concern about the escalating tensions in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There have been repeated ceasefire violations in recent days. An armed incident that took place on March 5 resulted in the loss of life on both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides,’ the diplomat said. ‘We strongly urge the sides to exercise restraint and take steps to de-escalate the situation,’ Zakharova said. (tass.com 3/6/23)
“Russia accused Azerbaijani troops of violating the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire after they advanced into Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry said they occupied a hill near the Lachin corridor connecting Karabakh to Armenian which has been blocked by Azerbaijan for more than three months. It said the Azerbaijani action violated a key term of the Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the six-week war in Karabakh.
‘The command of the Russian peacekeepers is taking measures aimed to prevent the escalation of the crisis situation and mutual provocations by the warring parties,’ the ministry said in a statement. The peacekeepers have demanded that the Azerbaijan ‘withdraw units of the national armed forces to their previously occupied positions,’ added the statement.” (azatutyun.am 3/25/23)
“We are speaking up to save the 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), including 30,000 children. Under blockade since December 12, 2022, the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is literally suffocating amid a deafening silence and embarrassing indifference. This letter is a demand for strong action from France and the international community.
The Sénat and then the Assemblée Nationale voted almost unanimously for resolutions condemning Azerbaijan, demanding sanctions against its leaders and calling for the recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, convinced that this is the key to lasting peace in the South Caucasus. These votes have so far not been followed up with any actions.” (lemonde.fr 4/1/23)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed over phone on Friday the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and the preparation of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kremlin press service reported.
The press service of the Armenian government also reported that Pashinyan and Putin discussed the unblocking of transport communications in the South Caucasus.
‘Discussions on various aspects of the current situation around Nagorno-Karabakh continued,’ the statement said. The Kremlin noted that the importance of implementing the 2020-2022 agreements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, ‘including those related to ensuring security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, restoring economic and transport ties in the North Caucasus and preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan’ was reaffirmed.” (tass.com 4/7/23)
“Azerbaijan on Sunday, April 23, set up a checkpoint on the only land link between Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, sparking an angry response from its archrival Yerevan. The move fuels tensions between the ex-Soviet Caucasus nations that fought two wars over Azerbaijan's Armenian-majority region of Nagorno-Karabakh. ‘The units of the Azerbaijani Border Service established a border checkpoint on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, at the entrance of the Lachin-Khankendi road,’ the state border service said.
Under the Russia-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2020 conflict, Azerbaijan is required to guarantee safe passage on the Lachin corridor, which is patrolled by Russian peacekeepers. Azerbaijan, however, said it set up the checkpoint at 12:00 pm on Sunday ‘to prevent the illegal transportation of manpower, weapons, mines.’ It added the checkpoint ‘shall be implemented in interaction with the Russian peacekeeping force.’” (lemonde.com 4/23/23)
“Both Baku and Yerevan understand that the West has no real intention of promoting a peaceful settlement between them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. ‘Regrettably, what the United States and the European Union are now doing demonstrate little desire to help them reach an agreement but rather reveal their plans to win a foothold in the region, edge out Russia’s legal interests and establish themselves as a force that will play a decisive role here,’ he said after a meeting of top diplomats from the member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Such actions, in his words, reflect the West’s plans to reach regions that are located far from NATO and EU borders. ‘And this has little to do with any sincere desire to help stabilize the situation,’ he noted.” (tass.com 6/20/23)
“According to Aliyev, both Baku and Yerevan need this peace treaty. He recalled that Armenia had recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. ‘These statements must also be on paper and Armenia must sign them. Lasting peace in the South Caucasus can be established only this way,’ he added.
Other important conditions for peace, according to the Azerbaijani leader, are the withdrawal of Armenian armed units from Nagorno-Karabakh and the opening of the Zangezur corridor which would link Nakhivichan with the rest of the country, as well as connect Turkey with Nakhichivan, Azerbaijan and Central Asian states across the Caspian Sea.” (tass.com 6/23/23)
“Four Armenian soldiers have been killed in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to separatist authorities. This comes as Baku and Yerevan held peace talks mediated by the United States to end a decades-long conflict. The Armenian Prime Minister has warned of a further risk of destabilization if the issue is not resolved.” (aljazeera.com 6/28/23)
“Armenia's government, which has propped up the de facto Karabakh government for the last three decades, has signaled its intention to end that support, while insisting that the rights and security of the local Armenians be protected under international supervision. On May 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for the first time said explicitly that Karabakh was Azerbaijani territory.” (rferl.org 6/28/23)
“Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, agreed Thursday on additional articles in the draft peace agreement between the countries, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. ‘The Ministers and their teams continued progress on the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations,’ the ministry said on the website.
‘They reached an agreement on additional articles and achieved mutual understanding on the draft agreement, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues require further work.’” (sputnikglobe.com 6/29/30)
“Azerbaijan's pro-government media has been signaling potential further military action against the Armenian-controlled part of Nagorno-Karabakh. And the president in his most recent speech stressed that ending the presence of any Armenian armed groups was a prerequisite for a comprehensive peace deal with Yerevan.” (eurasianet.com 7/7/23)
“Pressure is rising again in the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. On Tuesday, July 11, Azerbaijan announced the suspension of road traffic in the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Armenia to this separatist territory, at the heart of a thirty-year conflict between Baku and Yerevan.” (lemonde.fr 7/11/23)
“A separatist official in Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan on Thursday called on Russia to ensure free movement on the only road linking the breakaway region to Armenia, warning of dire humanitarian consequences.
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks, as Western engagement grows in a region where Russia, distracted by its war in Ukraine, appears to be losing influence.” (voanews 7/13/23)
“The Speaker of Artsakh’s Parliament Artur Tovmasyan on Wednesday called on the international community to launch a special criminal tribunal against Azerbaijan’s leaders for their unprecedented aggression and crimes against humanity in Nagorno-Karabakh, accusing Baku of ‘creating a modern-day concentration camp.’
He also said sought international recognition of Artsakh based on the principle of remedial secession, which is is a type of unilateral secession that is carried out as an outright measure against tyranny, human rights abuses or forced segregation.
‘By creating the most sophisticated concentration camp in a territory of nearly 3000 square kilometers, Azerbaijan has been testing the latest achievements of science on the citizens of the Artsakh Republic since December 12,2022, aimed at dehumanizing an entire nation, the population of the Republic of Artsakh,’ Tovmasyan said in a statement.
‘The more than 120,000 population of freedom-loving country is being subjected to humiliation, famine and threats of physical extermination every day for eight months, living without electricity, gas, fuel and medication,’ added Tovmasyan.” (asbarez.com 7/19/23)
A video filmed in Stepanakert city’s largest supermarket shows the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno Karabakh – all shelves are empty. The video was released by Human Rights Defender of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Gegham Stepanyan’s office.
In a statement released on Thursday, Stepanyan called for an immediate international intervention to help stop the suffering of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. ’Humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is deteriorating hour by hour. All shops and groceries are empty. Complete absence of food and basic necessities inflict sufferings on 120,000 people, including 30,000 children. The Ombudsman's Office reports from the ground, documenting the disastrous humanitarian consequences and asking for immediate international intervention,” Stepanyan said in a statement.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022.” (armenpress.com 7/20/23)
“As stated recently by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, we are ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s 86,600 square kilometres, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh, however with the understanding that the issue of the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh must be discussed within a framework of an international mechanism, through Stepanakert-Baku dialogue. The respect for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should not and could not be anyhow misinterpreted and used as a license for ethnic cleansings in Nagorno-Karabakh.” (Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan panorama.am 7/21/23)
“A peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan could be reached by the end of the year if Baku engages in direct talks with its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has said.
The PM made the prediction during a press conference on Tuesday, warning, however, that a prospective peace deal is unlikely to include provisions on the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area that would satisfy all parties. Yerevan is in no position to decide the fate of the breakaway region and the conflict must be settled directly between it and Baku, he noted.” (rt.com 7/25/23)
“Azerbaijan has no territorial claims against Armenia and expects the same approach from Yerevan, the country’s president, Ilham Aliyev, said in an interview with Euronews that was aired on Tuesday. Aliyev was commenting on the decades-long dispute over the breakaway republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani leader pointed out that those Armenians living in the region ‘should choose whether to live as citizens of Azerbaijan as an ethnic minority, as any other ethnic minority, of which Azerbaijan is rich, or to leave.’ He added that, counter to Yerevan’s allegations of ethnic cleansing, his country is providing ethnic Armenians with a chance to choose. Both states have long made such accusations against each other.
Yerevan has accused Baku of deliberately worsening the humanitarian situation in the region by disrupting the provision of essential goods, gas, and electricity. In June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that Azerbaijan had closed access to the disputed region and as such ‘supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, even of necessities, have been stopped.’” (rt.com 8/2/23)
“It’s now been more than seven months since Azerbaijan closed off Nagorno-Karabakh’s only access to the outside world, and the smouldering humanitarian crisis there is now coming to a head.
As food supplies dwindle, the residents of the territory are now reduced to a single meal a day. Azerbaijan, meanwhile, appears only emboldened to take ever more escalatory measures to finally crush the region’s ethnic Armenian population — including, for the first time, removing and detaining them from International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles.
At a press conference on July 24, Arayik Harutyunyan, the president of the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), declared the territory a ‘disaster zone’. He said that the 120,000 residents there had ‘only days’ until they began to run out of food entirely.” (intellinews.com 8/2/23)
“The Canadian government is again blaming Azerbaijan for escalating tensions in its Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying it is concerned about the ‘deteriorating humanitarian situation’ for Armenians living in that region. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it is mostly populated by Armenians, and neighbouring Armenia has fought for control of the region for decades.
Tensions rose in the area last fall, when the region's main access road was blocked by groups of people suspected of being affiliated with the Azerbaijan government, and then by officials who have limited the access of vehicles.” (cbc.ca 8/4/23)
“A group of UN experts today expressed alarm over the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, which has led to a dire humanitarian crisis in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The blockade, obstructing the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for the past seven months, has left the population facing acute shortages of food staples, medication, and hygiene products, impacted the functioning of medical and educational institutions, and placed the lives of the residents – especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women, and the sick – at significant risk.
‘The blockade of the Lachin Corridor is a humanitarian emergency that has created severe shortages of essential food staples including sunflower oil, fish, chicken, dairy products, cereal, sugar and baby formula,’ the experts said.” (ocher.org 8/7/23)
“Moscow does not intend to abandon Armenia or the South Caucasus region, contrary to what Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. ‘Russia continues to play an important role in stabilizing and de-conflicting this region’ and it will continue doing so in the future, Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.
The press secretary was responding to comments made by Pashinyan in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Sunday, in which the prime minister lamented that – despite Moscow’s complaints about the West trying to push it out of Armenia – ‘we see that Russia is itself abandoning the [South Caucasus] region.’” (rt.com 9/5/23)
“The Armenian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that joint military exercises with US ‘Eagle Partner 2023’ will be held in Armenia from September 11-20. The drills cause concerns in Moscow as they come amid Washington's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. The forthcoming Eagle Partner 2023 drills will involve "stabilization tasks between conflicting parties during the peacekeeping mission," the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Last Friday, Yerevan signaled readiness to continue cooperation with NATO within the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), while the next day Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Italian La Repubblica claiming that Russia's peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh "failed" and that Russia is ‘leaving’ the South Caucasus.
In response, the Kremlin expressed disagreement with Pashinyan's statement. ‘Russia is an absolutely integral part of this region, so it cannot go anywhere,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized.” (sputnikglobe.com 9/6/23)
“Azerbaijan has amassed its troops on the border with Armenia and the demarcation line with Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a Cabinet meeting as he described the situation as explosive.
‘In the past week, the military-political situation in our region has deteriorated. This is because, in the past few days, Azerbaijan has been amassing troops along the line of engagement in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Anti-Armenian rhetoric and hate speech have intensified in the Azerbaijani press and on propaganda platforms,’ the Armenian premier said.” (tass.com 9/7/23)
“According to a readout of Pashinyan’s phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, the prime minister lamented the ‘deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.’ During the conversation, however, Pashinyan ‘expressed readiness to hold urgent discussions with the president of Azerbaijan [Ilham Aliyev] aimed at reducing tensions,’ while pledging to resolve the disagreements diplomatically.
At the same time, Pashinyan also claimed that the current humanitarian crisis was caused by ‘the illegal blocking of the Lachin Corridor [and] the accumulation of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh.” Baku has repeatedly denied accusations that it is blocking this crucial road, which serves as the only link between the contested region and Armenia. Pashinyan’s pledge comes after the two countries traded barbs on Thursday over the tensions in the region, which resulted in clashes last week that left several Armenian service members dead.” (rt.com 9/9/23)
“Russia’s catastrophic invasion of Ukraine means Armenia can no longer rely on Moscow as a guarantor of its security, even as fears grow of a return to open conflict with Azerbaijan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told POLITICO in an interview.
Pashinyan’s unusually pointed criticism of Russia’s inability to act as a policeman in the Caucasus only compounds a sense the Kremlin is losing its influence — and once much-vaunted superpower status — across former Soviet republics that Moscow once saw as its stamping ground.
Disillusion in Yerevan could represent a major turning point for the country of 2.8 million people as it has delegated much of the control of its railways, its energy sector and even its borders to Russia after the collapse of the USSR. When Armenia fought a 44-day war against the stronger, Turkish-backed forces of Azerbaijan in 2020 — a conflict that killed thousands on each side — it was Russian peacekeepers that were deployed to maintain a ceasefire.” (politico.eu 9/13/23)
“Azerbaijan has launched ‘anti-terrorist’ operations in areas of its Nagorno-Karabakh region under ethnic-Armenian control, threatening to carry on ‘until the end’. Tensions in the South Caucasus have been high for months around the breakaway enclave, recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan.
Baku made clear the latest offensive would stop only with a surrender. ‘Illegal Armenian military formations’ would have to raise the white flag, hand over all weapons and dissolve ‘the illegal regime’, the Azerbaijani presidency said in a statement .” (bbc.com 9/19/23)
“A Wednesday statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry specifically calls on ‘the conflicting sides to immediately stop the bloodshed, cease hostilities and avoid casualties among the civilian population.’
The ministry believes ‘the fate of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was dramatically affected by Yerevan's recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the territory of Azerbaijan at the summits under the auspices of the European Union in October 2022 and May 2023,’ adding ‘this changed the fundamental conditions, under which the statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020, was signed, as well as the position of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent.’” (sputnikglobe.com 9/20/23)
“A group of Russian peacekeepers was killed in Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, when their vehicle came under small-arms fire, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. The peacekeepers were returning to an observation post when their car was attacked by unknown assailants. All the servicemen inside the car were killed on the spot, the military said, without revealing the exact number of casualties. Russian and Azerbaijani investigators are examining the scene of the incident, the military added.” (rt.com 9/21/23)
“The European Union and the United States are destabilizing the region of the South Caucasus, trying to enforce their mediation upon Armenia and Azerbaijan.
‘Now Brussels is imposing its mediation services on Azerbaijan and Armenia, bringing destabilization to the South Caucasus together with Washington,’ the top Russian diplomat [Lavrov] said at the UN General Assembly. He added that Russian peacekeepers will contribute in every possible way to the de-escalation and establishment of peaceful life in Nagorno-Karabakh.” (sputnikglobe.com 9/23/23)
“At least 20 [126] Armenians waiting for gasoline to flee the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh were killed and nearly 300 more were injured in an explosion at a fuel depot on Monday, according to local officials, as senior U.S. officials visited Armenia and pledged humanitarian support to deal with a flood of refugees that began Sunday ahead of an imminent takeover by Azerbaijan.
A military offensive by Azerbaijan last week forced the self-declared government of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh, to capitulate and agree to dismantle its armed forces. Warnings by local authorities that the advancing Azerbaijani forces would engage in “ethnic cleansing” have terrified residents and spurred thousands of people to evacuate to Armenia.
Russia last week again claimed to broker a cease-fire, but events in recent days demonstrated a stunning failure by Moscow to fulfill its peacekeeping role. Moscow was unable to prevent the military operation by Azerbaijan, to protect the Armenians living in the region or to enforce the terms of the 2020 cease-fire, which called for maintaining a highway that connects Stepanakert and Armenia. The highway, known as the Lachin Corridor, has been blocked for nearly a year and closed entirely since mid-June.” (washingtonpost.com 9/25/23)
“The US has poured money into Armenia for a decade, knowing that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would do Washington’s bidding by relinquishing Nagorno-Karabakh and aligning himself with the West, geopolitical analyst Kevork Almassian told RT on Tuesday.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power touched down in Yerevan on Monday with promises of ‘support for Armenia’s sovereignty.’ The visit came less than a week after the ethnic Armenian leadership in the disputed province of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to lay down arms and allow the territory to be subsumed into Azerbaijan, an outcome that Pashinyan endorses against the wishes of the Armenian population.
‘This delegation from the United States prepared and paved the ground for Pashinyan to come to power, Almassian told RT, referring to the massive outlay of funds that USAID, the US State Department, and the Pentagon have funneled into Armenia in recent years, particularly to pro-Pashinyan and pro-Western media projects.” (rt.com 9/26/23)
"Our analysis shows that in the coming days there will be no Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan told his cabinet members on Thursday, according to the French news agency AFP. ‘This is an act of ethnic cleansing of which we were warning the international community for a long time.’ (cbsnews.com 9/28/23)
“The authorities of Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have announced the dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic after a Russian-mediated truce ended a flare-up of hostilities between Stepanakert and Baku.
Samvel Shahramanyan, the president of the unrecognized republic, issued a decree on Thursday ordering the ‘dissolution of all state institutions and their branches by January 1, 2024.’
‘The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) ceases to exist,’ the announcement declared, as quoted by the NKR InfoCenter.
The document also says that the region’s inhabitants, including those who have fled, should ‘familiarize themselves with the conditions of reintegration offered by the Republic of Azerbaijan,’ and make an independent decision about whether to return to Nagorno-Karabakh.” (rt.com 9/28/23)
“Nagorno-Karabakh has agreed to formally disband its state institutions effective January 1, 2024, with the move set to formally restore the long-disputed region’s status as part of Azerbaijan.
In a decree published Thursday, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh President Samvel Shahramanyan stated that the decision to disband the self-proclaimed republic was ‘based on the priority of ensuring the physical security and vital interests of the people of Karabakh,’ and to allow any ethnic Armenians wishing to leave the region to do so.
Shahramanyan’s surprise announcement comes just days after Azerbaijan launched a brief ‘anti-terrorist’ operation in Karabakh, quickly overrunning up to 90 strongpoints controlled by Karabakh militias, with Russian peacekeeping forces brokering a ceasefire to prevent further bloodshed. Consequently, Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to disarm and start talks with Baku on reintegration.
Over 75,000 of Karabakh’s mostly ethnic Armenian population of 145,000 have now left the region, becoming refugees overnight. (sputnikglobe.com 10/2/23)
“Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement on the need to support Armenia and reevaluate military assistance and security cooperation with Azerbaijan.
‘Following nearly a year of a horrific blockade, President Aliyev finally used military power to exert control over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively erasing its Armenian population and rich history. As the world continues to grapple with Azerbaijan’s coordinated, intentional campaign of ethnic cleansing, we must both prioritize support for the Armenians who have been expelled as well as holding Azerbaijan accountable.
‘As we look forward we must take steps to ensure that Azerbaijan does not advance militarily in pursuit for further territorial gains, including forcefully condemning inflammatory rhetoric. The United States should halt security assistance to Azerbaijan until it has stopped this brutal campaign. The United States and the international community must also reaffirm our commitment to documenting war crimes and atrocities, as well as continue to support efforts to repatriate prisoners of war, many of whom Azerbaijan continues to detain.
‘Finally, we must stand in solidarity with the Armenian people, particularly as Azerbaijan and Turkey eye the potential Zangezur corridor. We should increase humanitarian support for those ethnic Armenians who have left Nagorno-Karabakh. The U.S. should also continue to support democratic reforms that Armenia’s leadership has taken in recent years, including efforts to promote transparency, good governance, and economic cooperation with the United States and Western Europe more broadly.’”
“France will demand the adoption of a resolution within the framework of the UN Security Council that will create conditions for the return of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians. This was announced by French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna during a speech in the Senate.
‘Azerbaijan planned and organized the exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from #Nagorno Karabakh. This serious crime cannot go unanswered. The conflict between #Armenia and #Azerbaijan can be resolved through negotiations. #Baku must understand that it cannot resort to the use of force’ said Colonna.” (@robananyan 10/11/23)
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a small group of lawmakers last week that his department is tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia, according to two people familiar with the conversation.
The call indicates the depth of concern in the administration about Azerbaijan’s operations against a breakaway region in the west of the country and the possibility of the conflict spreading.
Azerbaijiani President Ilham Aliyev has previously called on Armenia to open a ‘corridor’ along its southern border, linking mainland Azerbaijan to an exclave that borders Turkey and Iran. Aliyev has threatened to solve the issue ‘by force.’” (politico.com 10/13/23)
“A yearlong investigation by a team of scholars affiliated with Cornell and Purdue universities has documented a pattern of deliberate obliteration of Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhichevan, a historically Armenian region that became part of Azerbaijan following the Sovietization of the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan between 1920 and 1921. The new report by the Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) identified 108 medieval and early modern Armenian monasteries, churches, and cemeteries in Nakhichevan that were completely destroyed between 1997 and 2011 — an eradication described by the report’s authors as a ‘striking portrait of cultural erasure that, in its surgical precision, totality, and surreptitiousness, has few parallels.’ Of all the Armenian cultural heritage sites that CHW was able to locate and assess for this investigation, 98% have been completely wiped out.” (hyperallergic.com 10/16/23)
“‘History has taught us that when terrorists and dictators don’t pay a price, they cause more death and destruction,’ President Joe Biden said on Oct. 20, explaining Washington’s backing of Israel and Ukraine. Exactly a month before those remarks, an oil-rich dictatorship conducted a foreseeable and preventable operation against a disputed democratic region, committing atrocities—including against women and children—and prompting the entire population’s exodus. But the Biden administration is yet to hold last month’s aggressor, Azerbaijan, accountable for the onslaught and ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh.” (time.com 10/24/23)
“The United States will provide over $4.1 million in aid for people affected by the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the United States Agency for International Development said in a statement, after Azerbaijan's recapture of the region prompted a mass exodus of Armenians.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds for decades, most notably over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku's forces recaptured in September, prompting a mass exodus of most of the region's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to neighboring Armenia.
USAID said the additional aid, which has not been previously reported, will support efforts to provide assistance for almost 74,000 refugees and displaced people from the region who are sheltering in Armenia. The aid will increase food assistance and provide humanitarian protection and emergency shelter, according to the statement.” (usnews.com 11/21/23)
“Certain Western countries are attempting to destabilize the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and are openly struggling against Russia in the region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview on the Rossiya-1 TV channel.
‘Such struggle was with diplomatic masks worn sometime probably about three, four, five years ago. These masks were thrown off long ago at present and the struggle is head-on, with visors raised,’ Peskov said, commenting on statements of Western politicians about the task of ousting Russian peacekeepers from the region and rupture ties between Russia and Armenia.
‘The whole range of countries is indeed attempting to continue destabilizing situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, which by the way has already resulted in an official statement made by the Azerbaijani side that this number of countries could hardly claim any intermediary role anymore, because they had taken a one-sided position,’ he added.” (tass.com 11/26/23)
“Many in Armenia are wondering what the point is of remaining in a military alliance that has demonstrated its unwillingness to protect the country. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly denied claims, including by Russian officials, of an imminent change in Armenia's foreign policy vector, but that has not stopped speculation as to how the country might leave the CSTO and what would come next. Representatives of the authorities are themselves musing about this prospect.
‘There is of course the idea of Euro-integration in Armenia, but there is also the idea of becoming a country with non-bloc status, so there's a wide range of options. We are listening to civil society and trying to figure out what the best tools are for ensuring Armenia's security and development,’ Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said at a forum in Brussels on November 10 titled, The Strategic Future of Armenia: Armenia-Europe.” (oilprce.com 12/26/23)
“Early this year, the United States placed Azerbaijan on a watchlist for violating religious freedom after it invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, a region with Christian religious sites. The move, which could include sanctions, is one of several steps the United States has taken to punish Azerbaijan for its unprovoked aggression; in November, the Senate unanimously voted for legislation to reduce military aid to Azerbaijan.
Potential sanctions and limiting military aid are part of a growing consensus that aiding Azerbaijan is not a priority for the United States, if it ever was. But the vote raises questions about the United States’ role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict overall.” (thehill.com 2/11/24)
“Russia will pull out all of its nearly 2,000 troops from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, the Kremlin said in a surprise announcement just six months after they watched a forced mass exodus of the region’s Armenian population.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed the withdrawal Wednesday, according to Russian state newswire TASS.
Under the terms of a 2020 cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, 1,960 Russian soldiers as well as hundreds of units of armored personnel carriers and other military equipment were stationed in the region. They had a peacekeeping mandate until at least the end of 2025, but Moscow is directing all available resources into its war on Ukraine.” (politico.com 4/17/24)
“Armenia will leave the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told parliament on Wednesday. Yerevan is seeking to improve ties with Western powers amid strained relations with Moscow.
The landlocked Caucasus country was one of the founding members of the CSTO, and has been a part of the military alliance since 1992. However, relations between Yerevan and the bloc have soured over the past year, with Armenia accusing the CSTO of failing to stop its neighbor Azerbaijan from reclaiming the Nagorno-Karabakh region through military force.
Baku effectively took control over the long-disputed region in September 2023, and in February 2024, Pashinyan said his nation had suspended its membership of the CSTO, stating that ‘in Armenia’s case, the treaty has not been implemented.’” (rt.com 6/12/24)
“Russia is ready to play a role in helping to resolve the long-running feud between Azerbaijan and Armenia and achieve peace, President Vladimir Putin has told his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with tensions centering on the disputed Karabakh region, which until recently was predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians.
Speaking in front of reporters on Monday during his visit to Baku, Putin stressed that while Russia now faces ‘crises’ on several fronts, including in the Ukraine conflict, its historical involvement in the affairs of the South Caucasus ‘compels us to take part” in the affairs of the region ‘to the extent that it is required by the parties.’” (rt.com 8/19/24)
“Establishing the Zangezur Corridor in the South Caucasus is a ‘red line’ for Iran, the Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament said on Saturday.
Azerbaijan has been insisting on establishing a corridor through southern Armenia to link the country with its Nakhchivan enclave bordering Turkey, effectively occupying Armenian territory that connects it with Iran.
‘It is clear that issues related to the geopolitical developments surrounding the Zangezur Corridor are not in the interest of regional countries, and Iran vehemently opposes this matter,’ Ebrahim Azizi said. He said that the true motives behind the ‘fake corridor’ are aimed at diminishing Iran's military and political power in the region.” (english.almayadeen.net 9/7/24)
“President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed on Tuesday that Russia will withdraw its border troops from Armenia’s border with Iran on January 1, 2025.
The prime minister’s spokesperson, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, made the announcement, summing up a meeting between Putin and Pashinyan on the margins of the CIS summit, underway in Moscow, where the two also discussed similar arrangements regarding Russian border guards on the Armenia-Turkey border.
During a meeting in May, Pashinyan and Putin made a similar decision about the withdrawal of Russian border troops from Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport. That process was completed on July 31, with Armenia’s National Security Service forces taking over that task. Before meeting with Pashinyan, Putin also met separately with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.” (asbarez.com 10/8/24)
“Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday called neighboring Armenia a ‘fascist state and said it has to be destroyed. ‘Since this country has been ruled for almost 30 years by carriers of fascist ideology, they have shaped this country in their own image. Therefore, fascism must be destroyed. It will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us. We have no other choice,” Aliyev said during an interview with a local TV channel.
Aliyev also called on Western nations to stop arming Yerevan amidst Baku’s growing political ties and Yerevan’s deteriorating relations with Moscow.” (kyivpost.com 1/8/25)
“Armenia and Azerbaijan have reached a significant milestone in their efforts to end decades of conflict, with both sides announcing that they have finalized the text of a peace treaty. The agreement, which aims to formally conclude hostilities between the two South Caucasus nations, marks a rare moment of progress in what has been a fraught and prolonged negotiation process.” (english.almayadeen.net 3/13/25)
“Lying between Russia and Turkey, Azerbaijan has been caught in the tug-of-war, now serving foreign agendas — all in effort to de-stabilize Russia and weaken Iran.
Azerbaijan is Israel’s top arms customer in the Muslim world. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, 69% of Azerbaijan’s military imports came from Israel (2023 data), including Harop suicide drones, Hermes surveillance UAVs, and LORA ballistic missiles. Flight tracking in 2024 revealed intensified cargo flights from Israel’s Ovda Airbase to Baku, suggesting ongoing weapons transfers ahead of Azerbaijan’s military operation in Karabakh.” (@geopolitics_prime 7/1/25)
Is a peaceful coexistence possible after such a long-running, brutal conflict which culminated in the 2023 ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan? What will become of Nakhchivan and the Iran border road through the Zangezur Corridor across Armenia’s Syunik Province linking Azerbaijan with its exclave?
© 2022 James B. Angell All Rights Reserved
Always nice to learn something Jim. Thank you for your research and writings.
I love your focus on parts of the world and history I know nothing about. Great reminder that daily news is blind to the reality of most of humanity. And in the case of this story, a disturbing notification that even in seemingly strange little out of the way corners of the Earth the most high tech weapons and brutality keep blooming, and that people I will never meet are suffering. Disturbing as it may be, the "One Humanity" that I belong to needs to know itself. thank you for writing pieces like this one. S. Podry, Earthling spodry@hotmail.com