Armenia says Baku not fulfilling pledges, situation fragile

“Despite the cessation of hostilities in line with the trilateral Armenian, Russian, and Azerbaijani statement of November 9, 2020, the situation is still unstable because Azerbaijan is not fulfilling certain obligations under the above-mentioned statement. In particular, it misinterprets certain provisions, refuses to release military and civilian detainees, and indulges in bellicose and expansionist rhetoric,” Mirzoyan said in an interview with France’s Nouvelles d’Armenie.

“Armenia continues its efforts to reach stability in the region,” he continued.

“The program of our government clearly states our readiness to contribute to the establishment of an era of peaceful development in the region. I am sure that if other countries demonstrate a corresponding political will and make constructive steps, all necessary conditions will be created for the beginning of active discussions on the above-mentioned agenda,” he added.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs – Russia, France and the United States.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. Apart from that, a number of districts came over to Baku’s control.