Russian Defense Ministry alleged Monday that its patrol in the region's capital, conducted jointly with Azerbaijani forces, was fired at by a sniper, although it added that it wasn't clear who was behind the attack.Īrmenia's and Azerbaijan' defense ministries, in turn, traded accusations of cross-border shooting. The mutual accusations have further strained the relations between Armenia and its longtime ally Russia, which has accused the Armenian government of a pro-Western tilt.Īllegations of shooting on both sides resumed Monday for the first time since a Sept. The accusations were rejected by Moscow, which argued that its troops didn't have a mandate to intervene. After a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back back parts of the region in the south Caucasus Mountains, along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had captured earlier.Īrmenian authorities have accused the Russian peacekeepers, who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2020 war, of standing idle and failing to stop the Azerbaijani onslaught. He added that "our agenda is peace in the Caucasus, peace in the region, cooperation, shared benefits, and today, we demonstrate that.”Īfter six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, turning about 1 million of its Azerbaijani residents into refugees. “We protected our dignity, we restored justice and international law.” ![]() “We put an end to the conflict," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a speech Monday. ![]() Azerbaijani police arrested one of Harutyunyan's former prime ministers, Ruben Vardanyan, on Wednesday as he tried to cross into Armenia. On Sunday, Azerbaijan prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan, who led the region before stepping down at the beginning of September. Russian peacekeeping troops could be seen on a balcony of one building in the city, and others were at their base outside it, where their vehicles were parked. Just outside the city, a herd of cows grazed in an abandoned orchard, and a small dog, which appeared to have been left behind by its owners, silently watched passing vehicles. The sign with the city’s Azerbaijani name was placed at one entrance and Azerbaijani police checkpoints were set up on the outskirts, with officers checking the trunks of cars. The streets of the regional capital, which is called Khankendi by Azerbaijan and Stepanakert by the Armenians, appeared empty and littered with trash, with doors of deserted businesses flung open. “My father told me that he will return when he has the opportunity,” Astsetryan told reporters at a checkpoint on the Armenian border.Īzerbaijani authorities have arrested several former members of the separatist government and encouraged ethnic Azerbaijani residents who fled the area amid a war three decades ago to start moving back. Sergey Astsetryan, 40, one of the last Nagorno-Karabakh residents to leave in his own vehicle Sunday, said some elderly people decided to stay, adding that others might return if they see it’s safe for ethnic Armenians under Azerbaijani rule. The separatist government then agreed to disband itself by the end of the year, but Azerbaijani authorities are already in charge of the region.Īzerbaijan Interior Ministry spokesman Elshad Hajiyev told The Associated Press on Monday the country’s police have established control of the entire region.Īrmenia alleged the closure denied basic food and fuel supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan rejected the accusation, saying the Armenian government was using it for weapons shipments and argued the region could receive supplies through the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam - a solution long resisted by Nagorno-Karabakh authorities. ![]() 19, the Azerbaijani army routed the region's undermanned and outgunned Armenian forces, forcing them to capitulate. He called for information about any other residents who want to leave but have had trouble doing so. The bus that entered Armenia carried 15 passengers with serious illnesses and mobility problems, said Gegham Stepanyan, a human rights ombudsman for the former breakaway region that Azerbaijan calls Karabakh. The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a grueling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people - more than 80% of its residents - after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation.
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