Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh Gains Strength: Armenia and Azerbaijan Introduce Martial Law

The authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan announced the introduction of martial law against the background of the aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. On the night of Sunday, September 27, clashes broke out in the region between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops. The details of the situation are reported by the publication with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

What happened?

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced on Sunday morning, September 27, that Armenia had fired at settlements in the direction of Tertar, Jebrail and Fizuli, and the Azerbaijani army had launched a full-scale counteroffensive to protect the civilian population.

Armenia stated that it was the first to attack Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that at 8:00 am local time Azerbaijan launched air and missile attacks.

After the outbreak of clashes, both countries announced the introduction of martial law, Armenia introduced a regime throughout the entire territory, Azerbaijan - in several regions. Yerevan also began a general mobilization of men under the age of 55.

In connection with the introduction of martial law in Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev International Airport temporarily suspends flights.

Losses

Armenia reports the death of two civilians, Azerbaijan reports the death of a family of five and the injury of 19 people.

In addition, the Armenian military reported the death of 16 soldiers and the injury of about a hundred more people. Azerbaijan did not officially declare losses, Armenia reports the death of 200 Azerbaijani soldiers.

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During the day, both sides of the conflict reported on the destruction of enemy military equipment and published footage that was supposed to confirm this.

What the authorities said

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in an address to the nation, said that Yerevan is considering the possibility of officially recognizing the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, Azerbaijan declared war on the entire Armenian people, but the Armenians are ready for this. The Prime Minister called the actions of the Azerbaijani side “large-scale provocations.”

At a meeting of the country's Security Council, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called the resolution of the conflict in Karabakh “a historical task for Azerbaijan,” saying that Baku will not agree to a “half-hearted solution.”

“I have said many times, and I want to say today, that we must resolve this issue in such a way that the people of Azerbaijan are satisfied with this. We must restore historical justice. We must do this to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev noted.

Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh

Before the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Azerbaijan and Armenia were part of the Union, but the Karabakh conflict began in February 1988 - three years earlier, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its secession from the Azerbaijan SSR.

During the military confrontation between the two republics in 1992-1994, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1992, the OSCE Minsk Group was created for the peaceful resolution of this conflict, led by three co-chairs - Russia, the USA and France.

Yerevan does not officially recognize the independence of the NKR, but the budget and the army of the unrecognized republic are closely linked with Armenia.

In April 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Arayik Harutyunyan won the second round of the presidential elections in Karabakh, gaining 88% of the vote.

The European Commission stated that the voting results do not in any way affect the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the negotiation process, since the EU does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework for these elections.

Azerbaijan also does not recognize the elections in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey's role

Turkey announced its full support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar accused Armenia of aggravating the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, demanding that Yerevan “stop aggression” against Azerbaijan.

“In the fight to preserve the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Turkey will be on the side of its Azerbaijani brothers, using all its capabilities,” the minister wrote on Twitter.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country, as before, supports Azerbaijan.

“On September 27, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan called President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The President of Turkey expressed condolences to the head of state and the people of Azerbaijan in connection with the death of civilians and military personnel of Azerbaijan as a result of the military provocation of Armenia,” RIA Novosti quotes a message from Aliyev’s press service.

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the international community to keep Turkey from interfering in the Karabakh conflict.

“A new factor is that this year Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan is much more open than ever before. Russia, despite its military alliance with Armenia, is much more ambiguous in its position due to its close relationship with Azerbaijan,” said British analyst Tom de Waal, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Center.

In his opinion, a decisive initiative is now required from France, the United States and Russia - the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - in order to stop the violence.

International response

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in an official statement published on the agency's website, called on the parties to immediately cease fire and begin negotiations in order to stabilize the situation.

Spokesman for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Vladimir Zainetdinov said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the ceasefire regime should be restored in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We believe that this conflict should be resolved only peacefully. For this, there is an existing internationally recognized mechanism - the OSCE Minsk Group, which is engaged in resolving the conflict,” the agency quotes the press secretary as saying.

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović-Burić reminded the conflicting parties of the need to respect the commitment that both Azerbaijan and Armenia took upon joining the Council of Europe to resolve the conflict peacefully.

“On behalf of the Council of Europe, I call on the authorities of our two member states to do everything possible to protect human lives and not enter into military conflict. Every effort must be made to stop the escalation,” said Marija Pejčinović-Burić.

“The United States strongly condemns the escalation of violence. Under Secretary of State (Stephen) Biegun called Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakyan and called on both sides to immediately stop the violence, use existing direct lines of communication between them to avoid further escalation, and avoid unhelpful rhetoric and actions that further aggravate tensions on the ground,” the US State Department said in a statement on Sunday evening.

During Sunday Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis called on those gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray with him for peace in the Caucasus.

“I pray for peace in the Caucasus and ask the conflicting parties to make concrete gestures of goodwill and brotherhood that can lead to the solution of problems not through the use of force and weapons, but through dialogue and negotiations,” Pope Francis said.

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There are many Catholics among Armenians who belong to the Armenian Catholic Church, which recognizes the primacy of the Pope.

“Peace in the region will be restored if Armenia stops attacks against Azerbaijan in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

US warned foreign forces against meddling in conflict

The US State Department expressed deep concern about “large-scale military operations along the demarcation line in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, which resulted in numerous casualties, including among the civilian population. We express our condolences to the families of those killed and wounded,” the State Department said in a statement, writes "Voice of America".

“The United States strongly condemns this escalation of violence. Deputy Secretary of State Biegen called Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and called on both sides to immediately cease hostilities, use existing direct channels of communication between the parties to avoid further escalation, and avoid rhetoric and actions that further strain the situation on the ground events."

The official statement of the US foreign office also emphasizes that “the United States is convinced that participation in the escalation of violence by external parties will cause deep harm and will only increase regional tensions.”

The United States called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to work within the framework of the Minsk Group and return to the negotiating table. The United States is the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Washington promises to help the parties reach a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict.

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