An injured civilian helped by Russian peacekeepers after the start of a military operation by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, in a screenshot from a video released on September 20, 2023. RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE VIA Portal
After more than thirty years of conflict, Azerbaijan has violently overthrown the self-proclaimed authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh. A ceasefire agreement was signed under the auspices of Russia on Wednesday, September 20, ending the previous day’s major offensive by Baku forces against the disputed enclave.
According to this document, the separatist leaders agree to lay down their arms and begin negotiations on the reintegration of this territory into Azerbaijan. A historical turning point that marks Baku’s victory over control of this small mountainous region of the Caucasus, located within its territory but populated primarily by Armenians.
Specifically, the text provides for “the withdrawal of the remaining units and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Armenia (…), the dissolution and complete disarmament of the armed formations of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army.” It says that a first round of negotiations between the two parties on ensuring the rights and security of the enclave’s residents will take place on September 21 in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh.
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers. Azerbaijan launches a major offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan has “restored its sovereignty” in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ilham Aliev triumphed in a televised speech on Wednesday; The Azerbaijani president added that his army had “destroyed most” of the Armenian separatists’ forces and equipment and that they had “started” giving up their weapons.
However, there was no scene of celebration on the streets of Baku on Wednesday, according to several people contacted on site. “There are no celebrations at the moment, people are waiting for the outcome of the talks tomorrow [jeudi] “, explains a human rights defender who prefers to remain anonymous.
A “clear military victory” for Baku
Negotiations to ensure the rights and security of the Armenians in the enclave, which declared independence in 1991, are being conducted “in small groups,” Elchin Amirbayov, the special representative of the president of Azerbaijan, told Le Monde. The delegation is led by Ramin Mammadov, a MP from Karabakh. On the Armenian side, “two to three people are expected,” specifies Mr. Amirbayov. These will not be members of the puppet government because we do not want to give it legitimacy. Their security will probably be guaranteed by the Russians, but it will be a bilateral dialogue in which the Russians will not take part. »
Russia, anxious not to lose its influence in the region despite being weakened by the war in Ukraine, does not see it that way. “These negotiations will take place with the mediation of the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” Vladimir Putin said, according to a Kremlin press release. Around 2,000 Russian interposition soldiers have been stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh since the end of the second war in the disputed enclave in 2020.
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