Separatists and Azerbaijan sign ceasefire agreement.

The separatist group in Nagorno-Karabakh signed a ceasefire agreement with the Azerbaijani army, after the latter launched an "anti-terrorism" operation.

"Through the mediation of the commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh, an agreement has been reached on the complete cessation of hostilities from 13:00 on September 20 (16:00 Hanoi time)," the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists announced.

The statement added that the separatists had agreed to disband their forces and withdraw all military equipment and weapons from the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenian armed forces, which are close to the separatists, will also withdraw from territory controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces.

The separatists also accepted a proposal from the Azerbaijani government for talks aimed at reintegrating the disputed region into Azerbaijan.

"The issues raised by the Azerbaijani side regarding reintegration and ensuring the rights and safety of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh will be discussed at the meeting between Armenian representatives and the Azerbaijani government , taking place in Yevlakh on September 21," the separatists said.

Azerbaijani soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, the only land route connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, in December 2022. Photo: AFP — Azerbaijani soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, the only land route connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, in December 2022. Photo: *AFP*

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense quickly confirmed the statement from the separatists.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that maintaining the ceasefire between Nagorno-Karabakh separatists and Azerbaijani forces is "very important." Pashinyan expressed hope that Russian peacekeeping forces in the region would help ensure this.

The ceasefire came a day after the Azerbaijani army announced the start of "local anti-terrorism operations" in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan had previously said six of its citizens were killed by landmines in two separate incidents and blamed "Armenian illegal armed groups".

Nagorno-Karabakh has been separate from Azerbaijan since Armenian-backed separatist forces took control of the region after the war in the early 1990s. The two sides have clashed repeatedly since then, culminating in the 2020 war, which allowed Azerbaijan to regain some territory from the separatists.

In November 2020, Armenia agreed to sign a trilateral agreement with Azerbaijan and Russia to end six weeks of fierce fighting that killed thousands in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

According to the Karabakh agreement, Armenia returned four territories it controlled to Azerbaijan, and Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeeping troops to a 5-kilometer-wide control corridor between the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Armenia for five years. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the time described the decision as "painful".

Tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh have escalated since last year, as Russia has focused its resources on the war in Ukraine and its influence in the Caucasus region, considered Moscow's "backyard".