Russia facilitated a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both have signed an agreement to put an end to continuous military conflict.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognized internationally as a land of Azerbaijan but ethnic Armenians have been running it since 1994. The deal is made after six weeks of heavy clash between both countries.
Many ceasefire agreements were brokered since the war began in September, but all of them failed.
Azerbaijan and Armenia Agreement
The peace deal became effective immediately today (10th November). Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that making this deal was incredibly painful for him and his people.
According to the agreement, Armenia surrendered the disputed region of Nagorna-Karabakh. Azerbaijan will also hold on to those areas, which were captured during the conflict. Armenia even agreed to withdraw military from many other adjacent areas. Technically speaking, Armenia conceded the war. Reportedly, it will hand over the desired territories to Azerbaijan by 1st December
PM Pashinyan maintained that he discussed the matter with the best experts in the field of conflict. He said that the final decision was based on the profound analyses of the combat situation. He admited that this was not a victory but also refused to consider it a defeat.
Role Played By Russia In The Agreement
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an online address that Russia will deploy peacekeepers to patrol frontlines. According to the reports, these peacekeepers will be consisting of 1,960 personnel. They were dispatched to Karabakh along with Armored Personnel Carriers (APC).
Putin was joined by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, who confirmed that Turkey will also take part in the peacekeeping process. Putin added that the agreement would include exchanging of war prisoners, and unblocking all economic and transport contacts.
Reaction In Armenia?
The Armenian leader in Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan said a ceasefire was inevitable after Armenia lost its second largest town Shusha (Shushi) in Karabakh. He admitted that the battle almost reached the outskirts of Stepanakert (main city of Karabakh), and if the conflict continued, they would have lost the whole Karabakh.
Armenian citizens took the loss to their heart and started protesting against the dubious agreement.
They broke into Parliament to demonstrate their unhappiness with what happened. Reportedly, they were asking for Pashinyan’s head for conceding defeat.
Protesters also ransacked the official residence of PM and stole many items like, computer, driver’s license, perfume, clock, and much more.
Despite an angry response from a large group, some Armenians preferred to stand by the decision made by government. They said that if anyone was to blame, it should be ex-presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan, who took advantage of a crude narrative in order to keep the conflict going with Azerbaijan. Reportedly, both of them had a meeting in Armenia after getting released from jail in July.
They supported their PM because he showcased the spirit of democracy in the face of diaspora
Reaction In Azerbaijan
Unlike Armenia, Azeri citizens took to streets to celebrate their victory over life-long foes.
They were rejoiced to know that they were able to avenge the 1992 massacre of Azerbaijani citizens by Armenian armed forces. Armenia killed around 613 Azeris by tank fires, artillery, and mortars in order to depopulate the town Khojaly in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azeri citizens were proud in saying that their land was not occupied anymore by foreign forces.
Another proud moment for Azeris is the fact that Azerbaijan has become the first nation to liberate its conflicted territories in 21st Century. It is a strong nod to those countries who are still fighting like little siblings over the broken toy.
