NAGORNO-KARABAKH, THE SOUTHERN CAUCUS MOUNTAINS - A cease-fire, which had been in place since 2020 over a disputed tract of land in the Southern Caucus, between 2 countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan. On 8/3, conflict erupted in the area, which is located in Azerbaijan but is controlled by separatists from Armenia.
On
8/3/2022, conflict engulfed the region again, sparking international attention, and calls from both the United States and Russia to end the fighting, according to The Washington Post.
Russia was the intermediary who brokered the fragile peace accord in 2020 as this is a conflict sparked by the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
A Brief History:
The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is predominantly ethnic Armenian, is located within Azerbaijan and was established in the 1920s by the former Soviet Union.
Though the political entities within the Nagorno-Karabakh region are purely Armenian, the area is geographically contained within the borders of Azerbaijan.
In 1988, the Armenian population within the Nagorno-Karabakh region declared independence from Azerbaijan and began seeking unification with Armenia, during the fall of the Soviet Union. This later developed into an out war in 1992 between the 2 countries, when the Soviet Union finally collapsed. A cease-fire was declared in 1994, leaving approximately 30,000 souls lost and thousands without homes.
Though a cease-fire had been declared, minor skirmishes would break out periodically between 1994 - 2020, with a major battle flaring up in 2016 when Armenia supplied ethnic Armenian forces with heavy weaponry, and the conflict lasted 4 days.
In 2020, Azerbaijan went on the offensive, launching another full-scale war that lasted 6 weeks, beginning on September 27th. This time the conflict featured heavy artillery, missiles, drone technology, and precision strikes. Azerbaijan had received military support and sponsorship from Turkey. Months prior to the conflict, exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan rose 6 times their normal volumes. As a result of this conflict, 7,000 additional souls were lost.
When the cease-fire was brokered by Russia in 2020, Armenia had to surrender massive amounts of territory to Azerbaijan, and Russia began operating as a peacekeeping force.
Present Day:
Azerbaijan has made claims that it repelled an Armenian attack in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on 8/3/2022. Armenia has been accused of violating the cease-fire by the Defense Ministry in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Armenian troops tried to capture an area in the Lachin district which is supposed to be controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces.
The Armenian military, operating in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, has replied in dispute with the Azerbaijan version of the story, declaring mobilization in the area. So far, there have been 3 souls lost, 2 Armenian and 1 Azerbaijan.
Armenia has appealed to the international community, stating that Azerbaijan is utilizing terror tactics against the ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the cease-fire brokered by Russia has not worked and has not provided a sustainable amount of stability. Russian resources have now been drained due to the war in Ukraine; however, prior to the Ukrainian invasion, Russia was not living up to its responsibility as an international peacekeeper, according to Alex Fults and Paul Stronski from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Russia is continually stating that it has the most influence over the 2 regions by any international power, and continues to push forward to renew the cease-fire. The fighting goes on.
On August 4th, the conflict breached the borders of the two countries as The Mahdi Servants Union, a Shia Muslim organization with links to Iran, stormed and overtook the Azerbaijani embassy in London. Eight men were arrested on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage as a result and were taken into custody. No one was injured in the event.
On
8/3/2022, conflict engulfed the region again, sparking international attention, and calls from both the United States and Russia to end the fighting, according to The Washington Post.Russia was the intermediary who brokered the fragile peace accord in 2020 as this is a conflict sparked by the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
A Brief History:
The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is predominantly ethnic Armenian, is located within Azerbaijan and was established in the 1920s by the former Soviet Union.
Though the political entities within the Nagorno-Karabakh region are purely Armenian, the area is geographically contained within the borders of Azerbaijan.
In 1988, the Armenian population within the Nagorno-Karabakh region declared independence from Azerbaijan and began seeking unification with Armenia, during the fall of the Soviet Union. This later developed into an out war in 1992 between the 2 countries, when the Soviet Union finally collapsed. A cease-fire was declared in 1994, leaving approximately 30,000 souls lost and thousands without homes.
Though a cease-fire had been declared, minor skirmishes would break out periodically between 1994 - 2020, with a major battle flaring up in 2016 when Armenia supplied ethnic Armenian forces with heavy weaponry, and the conflict lasted 4 days.
In 2020, Azerbaijan went on the offensive, launching another full-scale war that lasted 6 weeks, beginning on September 27th. This time the conflict featured heavy artillery, missiles, drone technology, and precision strikes. Azerbaijan had received military support and sponsorship from Turkey. Months prior to the conflict, exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan rose 6 times their normal volumes. As a result of this conflict, 7,000 additional souls were lost.
When the cease-fire was brokered by Russia in 2020, Armenia had to surrender massive amounts of territory to Azerbaijan, and Russia began operating as a peacekeeping force.
Present Day:
Azerbaijan has made claims that it repelled an Armenian attack in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on 8/3/2022. Armenia has been accused of violating the cease-fire by the Defense Ministry in Baku, Azerbaijan, as Armenian troops tried to capture an area in the Lachin district which is supposed to be controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces.
The Armenian military, operating in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, has replied in dispute with the Azerbaijan version of the story, declaring mobilization in the area. So far, there have been 3 souls lost, 2 Armenian and 1 Azerbaijan.
Armenia has appealed to the international community, stating that Azerbaijan is utilizing terror tactics against the ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the cease-fire brokered by Russia has not worked and has not provided a sustainable amount of stability. Russian resources have now been drained due to the war in Ukraine; however, prior to the Ukrainian invasion, Russia was not living up to its responsibility as an international peacekeeper, according to Alex Fults and Paul Stronski from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Russia is continually stating that it has the most influence over the 2 regions by any international power, and continues to push forward to renew the cease-fire. The fighting goes on.
On August 4th, the conflict breached the borders of the two countries as The Mahdi Servants Union, a Shia Muslim organization with links to Iran, stormed and overtook the Azerbaijani embassy in London. Eight men were arrested on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage as a result and were taken into custody. No one was injured in the event.
Sources
The Washington Post | The Carnegie Endowment | Reuters | The Metro
Image Accreditation
Photo: Golden, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Washington Post | The Carnegie Endowment | Reuters | The Metro
Image Accreditation
Photo: Golden, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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