Azerbaijan claimed full control of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region on Wednesday after local Armenian forces there agreed to lay down their weapons following the latest outbreak of fighting in the decades-long separatist conflict.
Authorities in the ethnic Armenian region that has run its affairs without international recognition since fighting broke out in the early 1990s declared around midday that local self-defence forces will disarm and disband under a Russia-mediated ceasefire.
They also said representatives of the region will start talks on Thursday with the Baku government on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation in a televised address, saying that “in just one day, Azerbaijan fulfilled all the tasks set as part of local anti-terrorist measures” and “restored its sovereignty”.
On Tuesday, the Azerbaijan army unleashed an artillery barrage and drone attacks against outnumbered and undersupplied pro-Armenian forces, which have been weakened by a blockade of the region in the southern Caucasus Mountains that is recognised internationally as being part of Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said at least 200 people, including 10 civilians, were killed and more than 400 others were wounded in the fighting. He said earlier that children were among the dead and wounded.
His casualty figures could not immediately be independently verified.
The hostilities worsened an already grim humanitarian situation for residents who have endured food and medicine shortages for months as Azerbaijan enforced a blockade of the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
Thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh residents flocked to a camp operated by Russian peacekeepers to avoid the fighting, while many others gathered at the airport of the regional capital, Stepanakert, hoping to flee the region.
Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a speech that fighting decreased following the truce, emphasising that Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh are fully responsible for its residents security.
“If peacekeepers have proposed a peace deal, it means that they completely and without any reservations accepted the responsibility of ensuring the security of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, and provide the conditions and the rights for them to live on their land and in their homes safely,” he said.
Mr Pashinyan, who has previously recognised Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh, said Armenia would not be drawn into the fighting. He said his government did not take part in negotiating the deal, but “has taken note” of the decision made by the region’s separatist authorities.
He again denied any Armenian troops were in the region, even though separatist authorities said they were in Nagorno-Karabakh and would pull out as part of the truce.
Protesters rallied in the Armenian capital of Yerevan for a second straight day on Wednesday, blocking streets and demanding that authorities defend Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan’s move to reclaim control over Nagorno-Karabakh raised concerns that a full-scale war in the region could resume between the two neighbours, which have been locked in a struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh since a separatist war there ended in 1994.
The conflict has long drawn in powerful regional players, including Russia and Turkey. While Russia took on the mediating role, Turkey threw its weight behind longtime ally Azerbaijan.
Russia has been Armenia’s main economic partner and ally since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and has a military base in the country.
The Kremlin said Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Mr Pashinyan on Wednesday, welcoming the deal to end the hostilities and start talks between Azerbaijani officials and representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said some of its peacekeepers were killed on Wednesday, although it did not say how many and whether it happened before or after the start of the ceasefire. The ministry said the peacekeeping contingent had evacuated more than 3,100 civilians.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was “deeply concerned” about Azerbaijan’s military actions.
“We have repeatedly emphasised the use of force is absolutely unacceptable,” he said, adding that the US was closely watching the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
