AZERBAIJAN LAUNCHES ‘ANTI-TERROR ACTIVITIES’ IN KARABAKH AS PEACE WITH ARMENIA ENDS

Screen grab of strikes on supposed positions and equipment of the Armenian military by Azerbaijani Bayraktar TB2 UAVs.

Tue 19 September 2023:

Azerbaijan on Tuesday said it started “anti-terror activities” in Karabakh to uphold the provisions outlined in the 2020 trilateral peace agreement it signed with Russia and Armenia.

The Defense Ministry in a statement said the steps were taken to “suppress large-scale provocations in the Karabakh economic region, to disarm and secure the withdrawal of formations of Armenia’s armed forces from our territories, neutralize their military infrastructure, provide the safety of the civilian population returned to the territories liberated from occupation, the civilians involved in construction and restoration work and our military personnel, and ultimately restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

Positions on the front line, firing points of the formations of Armenia’s armed forces, as well as combat assets and military facilities are being “incapacitated” using “high-precision weapons,” the ministry added.

Azerbaijan reiterated that the civilian population and civilian infrastructure facilities were not being targeted, and only “legitimate military targets are being incapacitated.”

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

Tensions between the two nations, however, continue despite ongoing talks over a long-term peace agreement.

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of attempting ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Karabakh

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of unleashing “large-scale aggression” against the Armenian-populated separatist region of Karabakh and claimed Baku was attempting “ethnic cleansing” in the region.

“On September 19, Azerbaijan unleashed another large-scale [act of] aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, aiming to complete its policy of ethnic cleansing,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said.

UN spokesperson urges ‘sustained dialogue’ to avoid clashes

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told Al Jazeera that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh was “very concerning”.

“It’s very important that all the activities cease and both parties go back to a sustained dialogue to avoid any further clashes,” he said.

Russia ‘deeply alarmed’ by Azerbaijan military action in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russia said it is “deeply alarmed by the sharp escalation” in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The reaction came from Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova after Azerbaijan announced military action, TASS news agency reported.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a six-week war from September 2020. The fighting killed more than 6,500 people and ended with a Russian-brokered truce that saw Yerevan cede territories it had controlled for decades.

Moscow has stationed peacekeepers in parts of Karabakh that remained under Armenian separatist control.

Azerbaijan must ‘immediately’ stop military actions: EU chief

European Union Chief Charles Michel urges Azerbaijan to immediately stop its military offensive.

“Devastating news coming from former Nagorno-Karabakh oblast today. Military actions of Azerbaijan must be immediately halted to allow for a genuine dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians,” Michel wrote in a social media post,” he said on X.

Devastating news coming from former Nagorno-Karabakh oblast today.

Military actions of Azerbaijan must be immediately halted to allow for a genuine dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians.

— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) September 19, 2023