Putin Intervenes in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ceasefire Declared
Stepanakert, Azerbaijan – Russian President Vladimir Putin brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 2023/09/20, halting a 24-hour military offensive launched by Azerbaijan against the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The agreement comes after Azerbaijan successfully seized control of key military positions and infrastructure within the region, populated predominantly by ethnic Armenians.
The rapid collapse of Armenian defenses and the subsequent ceasefire signal a notable geopolitical shift in the South Caucasus,effectively ending over three decades of Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreement mandates the disarmament of armenian forces in the region and opens the door for negotiations regarding the future status of the Armenian population-approximately 100,000 residents-living within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders. This outcome represents a major foreign policy failure for Russia, traditionally seen as Armenia’s security guarantor, and raises concerns about Moscow’s diminishing influence in the region amid its ongoing war in ukraine.
azerbaijan initiated the offensive following months of escalating tensions and repeated accusations of Armenian violations of the ceasefire agreement established after the 2020 war. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated the operation was aimed at disarming Armenian forces and restoring azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.Armenian Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, facing mounting domestic pressure and criticism over his government’s reliance on Russia, reluctantly agreed to the ceasefire terms.
The ceasefire agreement stipulates that Armenian troops will lay down their arms by 2023/09/20, and negotiations between Baku and representatives of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh will begin in the coming weeks to discuss their rights and security guarantees. The agreement does not address the long-term political status of the region, leaving the future of the Armenian population uncertain. International observers have expressed concern over potential human rights violations and the possibility of ethnic cleansing as Azerbaijan consolidates its control.
Nagorno-Karabakh,a mountainous region within azerbaijan,has been at the center of a decades-long conflict since the collapse of the soviet Union. The region declared independence in the early 1990s, leading to a war that resulted in Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories. The 2020 war saw Azerbaijan regain significant territory, and the recent offensive marks the culmination of Azerbaijan’s efforts to reassert full sovereignty over the region. Russia has maintained a peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh since 2020, but its failure to prevent the latest escalation has prompted questions about its commitment to the region and its ability to act as an effective mediator.
