“We will stop when the separatists lay down their weapons,” the Azerbaijani presidency announced its intention to continue the conflict that began late this morning, September 19. The Azerbaijanis have launched an offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that has already claimed its first victims. According to the independents of the Armenian enclave, which declared itself an autonomous republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union, two people were killed and 11 injured. After weeks of tension, Azerbaijan today launched the dreaded offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh. An official statement from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry speaks of an “anti-terror” operation against Armenian aggression. Currently, artillery shots can clearly be heard in the capital Stepanakert in videos published on social media, and attacks are also said to be occurring in other areas of the region. Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities have called on Azerbaijan to cease hostilities and “sit to the negotiating table to resolve the current situation.” Meanwhile, Baku has achieved almost all of its goals, as Ikhmet Gadjev, adviser to President Ilham Aliyev, reports, and for this reason is ready to start negotiations with “representatives of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh” in Azerbaijan city of Yevlakh. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been competing for control of the Armenian-speaking region, which includes the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The situation has been critical since September 2020, when Azerbaijan occupied the southern part of Nagorno-Karabakh. A ceasefire was signed in November of the same year, but it began to falter at the end of summer 2023. The artillery shells would confirm the resumption of the conflict.
The statement of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense
“They want to eliminate civilians”
Armenian Prime Minister Nicol Pashinian said Azerbaijani forces have launched a “breakthrough operation” in Nagorno-Karabakh to take control of the population centers of the Armenian enclave on Azerbaijani territory. “We are witnessing how Azerbaijan is moving towards the physical annihilation of civilians and the destruction of civilian targets,” added Sergei Ghazaryan, foreign minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. “We have repeatedly informed international actors that calls alone will not deter Azerbaijan from its warlike and criminal actions. We call on the international community to take effective measures very quickly to stop the aggression,” Ghazaryan added.
The Moscow location
It is not clear to what extent Moscow’s position supports Baku’s move. Armenia initially accused the Kremlin of failing to warn of the dangers because Baku had previously said it had informed Russia and Turkey about the operation. However, Russia responded by saying it had not been informed by Azerbaijan about the impending attack in Nagorno-Karabakh. Or rather, only knowing it “a few minutes before” the operation began. Maria Zakharova appealed to both sides to protect the peacekeepers sent by Russia. Azerbaijan has announced that it has opened humanitarian corridors.
Highlighted: The late August demonstrations in Armenia, in solidarity with Nagorno-Karabakh | Handle
Armenians protest in front of government buildings
In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, following news of the attacks, thousands of people gathered in Republic Square to demand intervention by Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan’s government.
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