Ceasefire declared in Nagorno-Karabakh after a day of Azerbaijani offensive

The parties will hold talks this Thursday in the Azeri city of Yevlax on a "reintegration process" of the territory in Azerbaijan

The authorities of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh have announced this Wednesday a ceasefire proposed by the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in the region after the latest fighting has left at least 32 dead in the framework of a military operation underway on Tuesday through Azerbaijan.

The Presidency of Artsakh - the official name of the Nagorno Karabakh republic - has indicated in a statement that an agreement has been reached for a "complete ceasefire" that includes the cessation of operations starting this Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. (local time). Thus, he noted that the pact includes a meeting this Thursday with the Azeri authorities in the town of Yevlax to address the "reintegration process" of the territory in Azerbaijan.

Thus, they have highlighted that the Artsakh authorities have accepted "the proposal of the Russian peace mission regarding the possibility of reaching a ceasefire" and have regretted that the Azeri military operations have left "fatal victims and injuries." "In some areas, the enemy has managed to break through the defense lines and take control of strategic intersections," he lamented, before stating that "given the current situation, the actions of the international community to stop the war and resolve the situation are insufficient".

In this sense, the authorities of the region have regretted that during the clashes, the units of the Artsakh forces "have defended themselves heroically against the enemy, who is far superior on a military level and to whom they have caused great losses." "The analysis of the actions carried out by the Azeri forces shows that they have set themselves the task of dividing Artsakh and causing irreparable damage," the statement said.

It also reflects that "an agreement has been reached on the withdrawal of units and soldiers of the Armenian Armed Forces from the deployment zone of Russian peacekeeping troops and the dissolution and complete disarmament of the armed formations of the Nagorno Defense Army Karabakh, as well as the withdrawal of heavy equipment and weapons from the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh."

Along these lines, he details that the meeting in Yevlax will address issues regarding "reintegration, protection of the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and transferring the population within the framework of the Constitution of Azerbaijan." In this way, he highlights that this "will be discussed between the Armenian population and representatives of the central government of Azerbaijan in Yevlax", according to the Armenian newspaper 'Panorama'.

Shortly after, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan confirmed the entry into force of the ceasefire, which entails "the suspension of anti-terrorist activities at the local level" on condition that "formations of the Armenian Armed Forces and Armenian armed groups "illegals deployed in the Azerbaijani region of Karabakh hand over their weapons, abandon their combat positions and military posts and completely disarm."

"The units of the Armenian Armed Forces will leave the territories of Azerbaijan," he said, while emphasizing that "in parallel, all weapons and heavy equipment will be delivered (to Baku)." "It is guaranteed that these processes will be carried out in coordination with the Russian peacekeeping contingent," he highlighted in a statement published on his website.

This point has been confirmed by sources from the Azerbaijani Embassy in Spain, who have indicated that the meeting in Yevlax has the objective of addressing the reintegration in Azerbaijan of the territory of the self-proclaimed republic with "representatives" of the Armenian community residing in the region.

ARMENIA REITERATES THAT IT HAS NO MILITARY IN NAGORNO KARABAK

For his part, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinian, has stated that Yerevan has not participated in the drafting of the text of the ceasefire agreement and has shown his "incomprehension" at the fact that Armenian soldiers deployed in Nagorno Karabakh, an extreme denied at all times by the country's authorities.

"We have received the text. Given that Armenia has not participated in its drafting nor has it been part of the discussions, the first thing that stands out is that it mentions the Armed Forces of Armenia," he stated, as reported by Armenpress.

"We do not fully understand this, since we have repeatedly said since August 2021 that Armenia does not have military personnel deployed in Nagorno Karabakh. In any case, we take note of the statement and its acceptance by the Nagorno Karabakh authorities," he said. emphasized.

Pashinián has elaborated that "mentioning the name of Armenia in a text that basically has nothing to do with Armenia justifies the hypothesis formulated yesterday that one of the objectives of the attack against Nagorno Karabakh was to drag Armenia into military actions."

"I have the belief that, if it had been possible to drag Armenia into military operations, the ultimate goal would have been the independence and sovereignty of Armenia," he said, while noting that Yerevan will continue to analyze the events.

In this sense, he indicated that "if the Russian peacekeeping troops have proposed a ceasefire, this means that they fully and unreservedly assume the obligation to guarantee the security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh."

"All conditions must be guaranteed to preserve the right of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh to live in their homes, on their land. I understand that (the Russian peacekeeping forces) fully assume this responsibility with this statement," he argued.

Pashinián has pointed out that his opinion is the same as that regarding the 2020 ceasefire agreement - which led to the deployment of these troops -. "We hope that, by taking this step, the Russian peacekeeping contingent will fully fulfill its obligations, about which we have previously expressed reservations," he concluded.

Shortly after, Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted that the peacekeeping forces "work very actively with all parties involved in the conflict" and insisted that they "do everything possible to protect the civilian population." Furthermore, he has expressed his desire for a "peaceful" solution to the dispute.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have exchanged accusations in recent months of violating the 2020 ceasefire, which ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, after which it took place between 1988 and 1994. The conflict ended with victory for Azerbaijan, which recovered territories taken by Armenia in the first war, including the city of Shusha.

Since then, both countries have maintained various contacts to try to sign a peace agreement, although the talks have encountered obstacles, including the situation around the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with the self-proclaimed republic of Arstaj. The area has the presence of Russian soldiers deployed as peacekeepers under the aforementioned ceasefire agreement.