Hundreds of protesters in the capital Yerevan called on the government to do more after pro-Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh surrendered to Azerbaijan.
A crowd of Armenian protesters, many of them young, gathered in Republic Square in the center of the capital Yerevan on September 20. Samvel Sargsyan, a 21-year-old student, said the Armenian government should help the separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We need Armenia to cooperate with Artsakh and fight," Sargsyan said, using the name Artsakh Republic that the separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh have given to the territory.
Many protesters chanted "Artsakh!" and criticized Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan. The Armenian prime minister has also faced calls for his resignation from some political opponents.
Protesters stand in front of Armenian police in Yerevan on September 20. Photo: AFP
The separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh signed a ceasefire agreement with the Azerbaijani army earlier in the day, agreeing to lay down their weapons and disband their forces. The separatists also accepted a proposal from the Azerbaijani government for talks aimed at reintegrating the region into Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry confirmed that the separatists had surrendered, adding that all ammunition and heavy military equipment of the forces would have to be handed over to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan has stressed that it will guarantee “safe passage” to separatist fighters who have laid down their weapons. They are likely to go to Armenia.
Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan said he hoped Russian peacekeepers would ensure that the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh could "continue to live in their homes, on their land".
Location of Nagorno-Karabakh region. Graphic: France 24
Nagorno-Karabakh has been separated from Azerbaijan since pro-Armenian separatists took control of the region following a war in the early 1990s. The two sides clashed several times since then, culminating in a war in 2020 that saw Azerbaijan reclaim part of the territory from the separatists.
Armenia in November 2020 agreed to sign a tripartite agreement with Azerbaijan and Russia to end six weeks of fierce fighting that has killed thousands of people in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. Russia sent about 2,000 peacekeepers to the region to monitor the ceasefire.
However, tensions in the region have escalated since last year, as Russia has focused its resources on the war in Ukraine and reduced its influence in the Caucasus region.
Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters )
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