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Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh accepted a ceasefire proposal from Russian peacekeepers on Wednesday, a day after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the disputed territory.
Azerbaijan launched a so-called “anti-terror” campaign against separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, leaving hundreds of people dead, according to local officials. As of Wednesday evening, the death toll stood at at least 200, including 10 civilians, and more than 400 injured, the ombudsman’s office in Armenia-controlled territory said.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region located within the borders of Azerbaijan. It is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is home to about 120,000 ethnic Armenians, who make up the majority of the population and reject Azerbaijan’s rule. The region has its own de facto government, supported by Armenia, but not officially recognized by Armenia or any other country.
The ceasefire was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) on Wednesday, Nagorno-Karabakh’s presidential office said.
“An agreement was reached on the withdrawal of the remaining units and soldiers of the Armenian Armed Forces from the operational zone of the Russian peacekeepers, as well as on the disbandment and complete disarmament of the armed formations,” it said in a statement.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said it had agreed to suspend its operation, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
Azerbaijan said officials would meet with representatives of the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh in the city of Yevlakh on Thursday “to discuss issues of reintegration in accordance with the constitution and laws of Azerbaijan.”
Nagorno-Karabakh’s presidency said its forces were “many times outnumbered” as it tried to defend the region from Azerbaijani troops on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, the Defense Army has also suffered casualties while in some parts the enemy has managed to penetrate Defense Army outposts and capture several heights and strategic road junctions,” it said.
“In the current situation, the actions of the international community to end the war and resolve the situation are inadequate. Taking this into account, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accept the proposal of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent regarding a ceasefire,” the Nagorno-Karabakh presidential office said, according to Armenpress.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government played no role in negotiating the deal.
In a televised address, Pashinyan said that the text of the agreement “erroneously mentions the Armenian armed forces, while Armenia does not maintain a military presence in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“Armenia has no longer had an army in Nagorno-Karabakh since August 2021. But we definitely note this statement and that the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have accepted it,” Pashinyan said.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry rejected Baku’s claims that Azerbaijani troops had been “systematically shelled” by Armenian forces, saying in a statement on Tuesday that Armenia was providing only “humanitarian” and not military assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Later, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said his campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh had been “successful” and had restored Azerbaijan’s “territorial integrity.”
In a nationwide address on Wednesday, the president praised the Azerbaijani military for displaying “heroism and professionalism in difficult terrain” and achieving “military successes in all directions.”
Aliyev said he ordered Azerbaijani troops to destroy military targets and not civilian infrastructure. According to Aliyev, more than 100 tanks and armored vehicles and 200 artillery and anti-aircraft weapons were in Nagorno-Karabakh during the operation.
He said Azerbaijan accepted the ceasefire but accused Armenia of initially violating that agreement. He said Armenian troops began withdrawing at 6:05 p.m. UTC (2:05 p.m. ET).
The region has been the trigger for two wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the last three decades. The most recent war broke out in 2020 and lasted 44 days before Moscow negotiated a ceasefire. As part of this agreement, Russia sent around 2,000 peacekeepers to the region to prevent further conflict.
However, the Russian peacekeeper is accused of not implementing the ceasefire. In December 2022, Azerbaijan-backed activists set up a military checkpoint along the Lachin Corridor – the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Since then, the region has been under a blockade that prevents the import of food and medicine to residents.
A former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said in August that there was “a reasonable belief that an Armenian genocide is being committed in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Siranush Sargsyan/AP
Children were sheltered during Azerbaijan’s shelling of Stepanakert overnight on Tuesday.
After Azerbaijan launched new missile, artillery and drone attacks on Tuesday, Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to fulfill their obligations to protect Nagorno-Karabakh, state-owned Armenpress reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked to respond to this criticism at a media briefing on Wednesday, saying: “Such accusations against us are unfounded, they are based on nothing.”
Peskov said Moscow was in dialogue with both Baku and Yerevan and was continuing its efforts to help ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh. The Russian Defense Ministry said it evacuated around 2,000 civilians from Nagorno-Karabakh overnight on Tuesday.
Peskov also announced that Moscow was arranging a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He said a conversation with the Azerbaijani President could also take place if necessary.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its peacekeeping contingent continued to carry out its tasks “under difficult conditions.”
“Preventing bloodshed, respecting humanitarian law regarding civilians and ensuring the security of the Russian peacekeeping contingent will be discussed,” it said.