Azerbaijani soldiers surrounded Stepanakert, the capital of the separatist region, mainly populated by Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, on Friday September 22. “The situation in Stepanakert is horrible, Azerbaijani troops are all around the city, they are on the outskirts,” Armine Hayrapetian, who represents in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, the center of information from the administration of this secessionist territory. “People fear that Azerbaijani soldiers could enter the city at any time and start massacres,” she continued.
Stepanakert and other areas of Nagorno-Karabakh have been deprived of most basic services since the Azerbaijani army’s blitzkrieg offensive earlier this week to reconquer the enclave, Hayrapetian added. “No electricity, no gas, no food, no fuel, no internet or telephone connections”, “people are hiding in cellars”, she further declared.
The separatists have announced that they are negotiating with Azerbaijan to withdraw their troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, a region predominantly populated by Armenians where Azerbaijani forces won a lightning victory this week. “Negotiations are underway with the Azerbaijani side under the auspices of Russian peacekeepers to organize the process of troop withdrawal and ensure the return to their homes of citizens displaced by military aggression,” authorities said of this secessionist territory. The parties also discuss “the procedure for entry and exit of citizens” from Nagorno-Karabakh which only one road, the Lachin Corridor, connects to Armenia, they added.
“The situation” remains “tense”
Accused of passivity towards its Azerbaijani neighbor, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinian, admitted during a council of ministers that “the situation” remained “tense” in Nagorno-Karabakh, where “the humanitarian crisis continues”.
“There is hope of positive dynamics”, however added the head of government, for whom the ceasefire which entered into force on Wednesday between the Armenian separatists and Baku is “generally” respected, despite “isolated violations” reported THURSDAY. According to the latest assessment of the Armenian separatists, the Azerbaijani military operation caused the death of at least 200 people and 400 others were injured.
For the third day in a row, demonstrators hostile to the prime minister once again took to the streets of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on Friday to protest against the management of the crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh region by the government.
The Azerbaijani army launched an attack on Tuesday against the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians and already the scene of a war in 2020 which allowed Baku to reconquer large portions of territory.
After only twenty-four hours of fighting, the Karabakh authorities, overwhelmed by the firepower of Baku and without help from Yerevan, laid down their arms on Wednesday and negotiations began on Thursday, under the mediation of Moscow, for reintegration in breakaway territory Azerbaijan, where more than 100,000 people are stranded.
Opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of having made too many concessions to Baku and are calling for his resignation. Opposition leaders also announced their intention to launch proceedings to impeach Nikol Pashinian in Parliament.
“An aggressor and a victim”
In Yerevan, dozens of protesters were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday outside Mr. Pashinian’s offices following riots during which demonstrators threw bottles and stones. Faced with the demonstrations, Mr. Pashinian on Thursday urged Armenians to take “the path” to peace, even if it is “not easy”. He warned Thursday evening that his government “will act firmly but in accordance with the law” against the rioters.
Azerbaijan’s offensive was the subject of an exchange of arms between Yerevan and Baku on Thursday before the UN Security Council, meeting urgently at the request of France. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyana said there were not “two sides in this conflict but an aggressor and a victim”, accusing Baku of launching an “unjustified and planned” offensive, aimed at “finalize ethnic cleansing” in Nagorno-Karabakh.
His Azerbaijani counterpart, Djeyhoun Baïramov, for his part denounced a “disinformation campaign” led by Yerevan, which he accused of “fueling and supporting the separatists”. Baku and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh nevertheless said they were ready to continue talks on a “reintegration” of this breakaway territory into Azerbaijan, which began Thursday in Yevlakh, a town located 295 km west of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
The Azerbaijani presidency, which described the two hours of discussions as “constructive”, announced that a new meeting would take place “as quickly as possible”. “The parties emphasized the need to discuss all existing issues in a peaceful environment and expressed their readiness to continue the meetings,” the separatists commented in a statement.
