The Armenian-Armenian Mission: War, Conflicts and Peace in the Nagorno-Karabukh Enclave

The military of the Republic of Azeri Arabia said it has launched local anti-terrorist measures after a landmine killed at least four soldiers and two civilians.

Conflicts and wars between Georgia and Armenia are the result of conflicts between the majority ethnic Georgian territory and the rest of the country.

The contingent of up to 2000 Russian peacekeepers was installed after Moscow negotiated an end to large-scale hostilities in 2020.

Turkey has given more military support to Azerbaijan as Russia has focused on the war in Ukraine.

Baku says the aim of the current mission, which began Tuesday, is to “disarm and remove” Armenian forces illegally operating inside the enclave and protect ethnic Azeris living in the region. Armenia’s Defense Ministry denies its troops are operating in the area.

The military says it is using “precision weapons” in its air strikes. There were former representatives from the self-proclaimed government in Stepanakert.

In recent months tensions over the conflict in Nagorno-Karabukh have ebbed and flowed, as Western powers try to broker a solution.

The leadership in Armenia stated earlier this year that it was ready to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan, provided security guarantees were given to ethnic Armenians living there.

But on the other hand, Baku leveraged a partial blockade of humanitarian goods, growing military superiority and Russia’s preoccupation with the war in Ukraine to dictate the terms of negotiations.

Armenia’s security architecture in the light of the latest conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh: A statement from the Armenian Foreign Ministry

A continent of 85 U.S. troops are currently carrying out joint drills with Armenian forces near Yerevan under a 10-day NATO peacekeeping training mission.

Armenia’s government has also voiced support for joining the International Criminal Court — a body that currently has a warrant out for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin over his actions in Ukraine.

He stated in an interview with La Repubblica that Armenia’s security architecture was 98% linked to Russia.

“But today, we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons, arms and ammunition. And in this situation, it’s understandable that even if it wishes so, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia’s security needs.”

Reacting to the latest outbreak in fighting, Russia’s foreign ministry called for both sides to return to a cease-fire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The apparent break in the conflict comes one day after Azerbaijan launched a large military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh — which led the U.S. to call on Azerbaijan’s leaders in Baku, the capital, “to cease these actions immediately.

The self-styled foreign affairs ministry said that after there was no concrete actions by international parties, the enclave had few options to ensure the safety of its civilian population.

At least 200 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to officials of the self-declared Armenia government.

The Russian peacekeepers’ base camp, which includes a medical unit, is hosting 2,261 civilians, including 1,049 children, as of Wednesday, according to the Russian military.

NPR meets Stronski: the impact of the cease-fire on Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government

Under the new cease-fire, Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government promised to disperse army units and hand over military hardware ahead of “reintegration talks.”

News of the halt in fighting follows large protests in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, calling on the government to intervene on behalf of Nagorno-Karabakh’s majority ethnic Armenian population.

Paul Stronski spoke about the dynamic to NPR during a recent flareup of violence.