Sept 27 2023
By Prakash Kl
A large number of ethnic Armenians escaped from Nagorno-Karabakh, forming lines for fuel and congesting the route to Armenia. This exodus followed the swift military operation by Azerbaijan, resulting in the defeat of the decades-old separatist state.
The self-proclaimed state situated in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region, acknowledged by no nation, disappeared so rapidly last week. The ethnic Armenian inhabitants had mere minutes to pack their belongings before leaving their residences, becoming part of a mass departure fueled by concerns about potential ethnic cleansing following Azerbaijan's victory.
Some 120,000 Armenians, who considered Karabakh as their home, left for Armenia.
Where is Nagorno-Karabakh Situated?
Situated in the mountainous South Caucasus region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, this territory has been a longstanding point of contention.
What is the conflict all about?
The historical conflict in the region between Christian Armenians and Turkic Muslim Azeris spans over a century. More Than 19,000 Cops On Ganesh Immersion Duty In Mumbai Armenia and Azerbaijan, in their present forms, were integrated into the Soviet Union during the 1920s.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an area with a predominantly Armenian population, was under the control of Azerbaijan. As the Soviet Union started to disintegrate in the late 1980s, the regional parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unite with Armenia. Azerbaijan aimed to quell the separatist movement, while Armenia supported it.
These circumstances sparked ethnic conflicts, which escalated into a full-fledged war after both Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from Moscow. Subsequently, years of violence and hardship ensued.
All Evacuated Safely Throughout the years, the death toll reached tens of thousands, with over a million individuals forcibly displaced. Reports emerged of ethnic cleansing and massacres perpetrated by both factions.
The initial Nagorno-Karabakh conflict concluded through a ceasefire brokered by Russia in 1994. At the end of the hostilities, Armenian forces had secured control over Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding regions.
According to the agreement, Nagorno-Karabakh retained its status as part of Azerbaijan. However, in practice, it has been primarily governed by a self-proclaimed separatist republic, led by ethnic Armenians and supported by the Armenian government.
In a 44-day war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured seven surrounding districts and took back about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and Russia brokered the peace deal. Under the agreement, Armenian forces had to withdraw from these areas and have since been confined to a smaller part of the region.
The Role of Russia and Turkey While Turkey has been an ally of Azerbaijan, Russia had close ties with Armenia. Both Russia and Armenia are part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance of six former Soviet states.
However, the relationship between both the countries has strained since Nikol Pashinyan, who led huge anti-government protests in 2018, became Armenia's prime minister. Recently, Pashinyan claimed that Armenia's dependence on Russia as its single source of security was a "strategic error". He had also questioned Russian peacekeepers in the conflict hit zone.
It has to be noted that Russia deployed peacekeepers to the region in 2020. They had pledged to maintain access to the crucial lifeline-the sole road connecting the enclave to Armenia, vital for Artsakh. Ukraine Issue However, Moscow, preoccupied with the conflict in Ukraine and seeking strengthened economic and political relations with Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey, refrained from intervening this year when Azerbaijan shut down this route.
This action resulted in a blockade, disrupting the supply of essential resources like food, fuel, and medicine. During the recent rapid attack on Artsakh's vulnerable defenses, the Kremlin instructed its peacekeepers to refrain from involvement.
The Ceasefire Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh announced a ceasefire, facilitated by Russia, on 20 September, effectively halting 24 hours of conflict. The ceasefire agreement outlined the complete disarmament and dissolution of local Armenian forces. the integration of the enclave into Azerbaijan. However, a significant portion of the region's 120,000 ethnic Armenians have been apprehensive about their prospects and place in Nagorno-Karabakh's future. Hence, they are going to Armenia.