MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has said that an agreement had been reached to suspend the anti-terrorist operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which began on September 19. Before that, the authorities of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic accepted the proposal from the command of the Russian peacekeepers to cease fire.
Representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan will hold a meeting in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh on September 21 to discuss the reintegration of the region in accordance with the Azerbaijani constitution.
TASS has put together the key developments in the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh situation
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh has been going on since the late 1980s. On September 19, the situation escalated again when Baku announced the start of "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region.
Yerevan said there were no Armenian armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and described the move by Azerbaijan as "an act of large-scale aggression." Residents of Yerevan rallied in front of the Armenian cabinet building, blaming the country's leadership including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for allowing the situation to happen.
On the morning of September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that the anti-terrorist measures in Nagorno-Karabakh continued with success, with some combat positions and military equipment of Armenian formations having been destroyed.
Ceasefire
The authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have decided to cease fire, the Yerevan-based 24News website reported citing the Nagorno-Karabakh Information Center. The report said that "in some areas the enemy managed to break through to the combat positions of the Defense Army and take control of a number of heights and strategic road junctions." Given all the circumstances, consent was given to the proposal of the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, which earlier called on the sides to cease fire and resume the negotiation process.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced the suspension of the anti-terrorist operation starting from 12:00 p.m. Moscow time on September 20. The ministry said it had received an appeal to do so from representatives of the Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, which came through the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
Earlier, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Baku would stop its anti-terrorist operation if Nagorno-Karabakh lays down arms. Before the agreement to suspend the operation was reached, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said more than 90 combat positions had been seized from Armenian formations.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the ceasefire agreement had been reached through the mediation of Russian peacekeepers.
Plans of talks
Representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan will hold a meeting in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh on September 21 to discuss the reintegration of the region and make sure the Armenians living there are safe and their rights are protected.
Casualties in Nagorno-Karabakh
The hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh have left 32 people killed and more than 200 wounded, Armenian Human Rights Commissioner Anahit Manasyan said. According to the commissioner, the death toll included civilians - five adults and two children - and 35 more civilians were injured, including 13 children.
Baku insisted that any accusations that its forces shelled population centers in Nagorno-Karabakh are false. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that the country’s armed forces used high-precision weapons and destroyed only legitimate military targets.
Role of Russian peacekeepers
The Russian peacekeeping force continues to carry out its mission, providing assistance to the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The main base of the peacekeeping force, which has a medical unit, has admitted 2,261 civilian evacuees, including 1,049 children.
The force is in contact with all parties to the conflict. Its command is discussing ways to prevent bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh and maintain humanitarian law with regard to civilians.
Reaction of Yerevan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan did not participate in the talks between the representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the official, the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh grew less intense after the ceasefire was achieved, but they have not stopped completely.
Protesters began to gather in front of the cabinet building in Yerevan. They are chanting anti-government slogans and demanding the resignation of Pashinyan. A special police force has deployed a large number of officers to cordon off the cabinet building.
Reaction of Moscow
Moscow is awaiting an agreement for phone talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. There are no plans for communication with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, but it will take place if necessary, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Speaking about Baku's operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Peskov said that Azerbaijan was acting on its own territory from the legal perspective, as Armenia had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh is a consequence of "clumsy and irresponsible meddling of US-led Western countries in the internal affairs of other nations and peoples."
International response
A crowd protesting against the escalation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh blocked traffic on a highway in downtown Los Angeles. The activists waved Armenian flags.
OSCE Chairman and North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said it is unacceptable to use force as a tool for settling disputes over Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the official, dialogue is "the only way to lasting peace."
Pope Francis expressed concern over the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, called for the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry pointed to the difference in the West’s approaches to the conflicts in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh, with the EU and the US supporting military operations in one case and calling for peace in the other.
US-Armenian military exercises
The US and Armenia are holding military exercises in Armenia from September 11 to 20. About 85 US and 175 Armenian troops are participating. A US military spokesman told Reuters that, despite the current events in Nagorno-Karabakh, the exercises will end on September 20 as planned.