Why are Azerbaijan and Armenia Fighting?
Although Armenia and Azerbaijan both agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Russia, which was to go into effect on Saturday, October 10, there are already reports of fresh attacks by both sides.
World leaders have again called on the two parties to stop the violence that has killed more than 500 Armenian soliders and unknown numbers of civilians in just 17 days. “U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in a statement Friday, cited reports that at least 53 civilians had been killed since fighting erupted last last month, including children." Azerbaijan has not released the number of causalities on its side.
Sophisticated electronic surveillance devices used by Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army, Oct. 10, 2017
The latest round of clashes broke out in the separatist enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in late September, although the strife is rooted in disputes that go back more than a quarter century.
Nagorno-Karabakh proclaimed its independence when the Soviet Union was crumbling, but no other nation recognized its claim of sovereignty. Its autonomous legislature voted to join Armenia in the late 1980s. Internationally, the Naka region, as it is known, is still considered part of Azerbaijan, while the area is mostly populated by ethic Armenians.
Photo by Armenian Museum of Photo and Video Materials/Flicker
Armenian protests in Martuni, Nagorno-Karabakh, 1988
Long-standing grievances make a lasting peace elusive. War broke out in the region in the 1990s, killing around 30,000 people, before a ceasefire was declared in 1994. Clashes again broke out in 2016 and July of this year. But current flare up that started on September 27 has been the worst in decades.
The violence is being compounded by the insertion of other nations such as Syria, Russia, and Turkey into the mix. Turkey, a NATO member, is an ally of Azerbaijan, while Russia has a mutual defense treaty with Armenia. Russia has also provided both sides with weapons over the years.
Turkey’s military support of Azerbaijan has emboldened the country, and there are also reports Turkey has sent in Syrian mercenaries to tip the balance in favor of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, experts warn the conflict could even destabilize neighboring Iran and Georgia.
Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army troops assemble before the National Assembly building on Renaissance Square in Stepanakert, May 9, 2017
“For decades, international mediators have been looking for a way to hand territory back to Azerbaijan while preserving the safety of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh,” according to The New York Times.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) created the Minsk Group in 1992 to spearhead the organization’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
On October 13, the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group released a statement, calling on “Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to take immediate steps to execute in full the obligations of the sides according to the October 10 Moscow statement, in order to prevent catastrophic consequences for the region.”