Separatists and Azerbaijan sign ceasefire agreement

Separatist groups in Nagorno-Karabakh have signed a ceasefire agreement with the Azerbaijani army, after the latter launched an "anti-terrorist" operation.

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

The statement added that the separatists had agreed to disband their forces and withdraw all military hardware and weapons from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian armed forces, which are aligned with the separatists, would also withdraw from the territory controlled by Russian peacekeepers.

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, ensuring the rights and safety of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh will be discussed at a meeting between Armenian representatives and the Azerbaijani government, which will take place in the city of 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*

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry quickly confirmed the separatists' claim.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said it was “very important” to maintain the ceasefire between Nagorno-Karabakh separatists and the Azerbaijani army. Pashinyan hoped that Russian peacekeepers in the region would help ensure this.

The ceasefire came a day after the Azerbaijani military announced the start of “local anti-terrorist operations” in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan had earlier said six of its citizens had been killed by landmines in two separate incidents, blaming “illegal Armenian armed groups”.

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.

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

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