Foreign ministers from Turkey and Russia also joined the talks in Tehran; Iran said the countries want to talk “without the interference of non-regional and Western countries” (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Turkey held their first joint military drills since the seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh (Reuters)
Armenia and Azerbaijan Clash at International Court of Justice
Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Nagorno-Karabakh and called on the ICJ to order Azerbaijan to “withdraw all military and law-enforcement personnel from all civilian establishments in Nagorno-Karabakh” (AFP)
Azerbaijan’s President Ready for Peace Talks With Armenia
After fully reclaiming Nagorno-Karabakh in a military operation that prompted more than 80 percent of the territory’s population to leave, Azerbaijani President Ilhan Aliyev said his country was ready to discuss a peace treaty with Armenia (AP)
He also warned, however, that France’s decision to supply Armenia with military aid could reignite fighting (Reuters)
Israel Provided Arms That Helped Azerbaijan Retake Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijani military planes reportedly flew from Israel to an airfield near Nagorno-Karabakh, and the military deployed powerful weapons obtained from Israel; Azerbaijan serves as a critical source of oil for Israel and is a strategic partner in countering Iran (AP)
Russia Confirms Holding Talks with EU and U.S. Prior to Nagorno-Karabakh Operation
The sides reportedly exchanged views on the conflict last month ahead of Azerbaijan’s lightning military operation to take control of the territory (Reuters)
Armenia’s Parliament Votes to Join International Criminal Court
The vote to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) obliges Armenia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he enters the country, further straining ties between the two historic allies; Armenian officials assured Russia that Putin would not be arrested if he entered the country, saying that the move was prompted by Azerbaijan’s military aggression in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region (AP)
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan detained four former ethnic Armenian leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, while three others reportedly reached Armenia (Reuters)
Last Bus Departs Nagorno-Karabakh, Completing Evacuation of 100,000 Ethnic Armenians
Those who fled make up 80 percent of the region’s pre-evacuation one hundred and twenty-thousand residents, and the streets of Nagorno-Karabakh’s towns lay vacant, silent, and littered with belongings from those who left in a hurry (AP)
UN Mission Arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to Assess Humanitarian Needs
Its arrival marks the first time in nearly three decades that an international body has been permitted to enter the region and comes as Nagono-Karabakh is nearly emptied of fleeing residents (Al Jazeera)
Leaders of Breakaway Region Nagorno-Karabakh Announce Its Dissolution
After thirty-two years of pushing for independent statehood from Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist on January 1, 2024, its leader said in a decree yesterday; the announcement follows a decree that prompted the region’s population to “familiarize themselves with the conditions of reintegration” with Azerbaijan (FT)
While Azerbaijan says it will peacefully reintegrate ethnic Armenians who choose to stay, many say they do not trust that pledge; more than half of the region’s residents have now crossed over to Armenia, with more expected to follow (Reuters)
Armenia Reports Over Forty Thousand People Have Entered From Azerbaijan
More than a third of the ethnic Armenian population of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have now fled to Armenia after an Azerbaijani offensive last week, Armenian authorities said; Azerbaijan’s border guard service said today that it arrested the former head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government as he tried to cross into Armenia (AP)
Turkish, Azerbaijani Leaders Meet as Thousands Flee From Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is in Azerbaijan today (Bloomberg) to meet with the country’s president, Ilham Aliyev, as thousands of ethnic Armenians flee the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region following an Azerbaijani military operation last week (RFE/RFL)
The two leaders are due to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as inaugurate a gas pipeline and discuss Erdoğan’s backing of a trade corridor in the region; the corridor route, advantageous to Turkey’s strategic trade goals, could further add to regional tensions as it would cross through southern Armenia (Bloomberg)
Though a cease-fire ended the military operation, many residents of Nagorno-Karabakh say they fear ethnic cleansing (France24)
Nearly five thousand had fled to Armenia by midday Monday, Armenia’s government said; Armenia’s prime minister has blamed Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh for failing to prevent the recent hostilities and protect the ethnic Armenian population (AP)
Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Yuri Kim, U.S. Department of State Acting Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, visited Armenia today to address humanitarian needs (Reuters)
Azerbaijan Says It Will Cease Military Operation in Armenian Enclave After Dozens Killed
The Azerbaijani government and Armenian separatist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh said they agreed to a Russia-brokered cease-fire today, a day after Azerbaijan launched a deadly military operation in the disputed region (Reuters)
Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights commissioner said at least 25 people were killed and another 138 were wounded; the cease-fire included a commitment to take part in talks about the future of the region and the ethnic Armenians who reside in the area after the violence raised fears of a wider regional conflict (Al-Monitor)
Russia brokered a previous cease-fire in the region following a breakout of conflict in 2020 and has peacekeepers stationed there (CNN)
In recent weeks, Armenia has criticized Russia for failing to convince Azerbaijan to open humanitarian corridors to the disputed area (Politico)
Both the United States and Russia have condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive (Al Jazeera)
Azerbaijan Launches “Anti-Terrorist” Offensive Against Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan demanded the “complete withdrawal” of ethnic Armenian forces; Armenia called on Russian peacekeeping forces to intervene (Al Jazeera)
In a statement, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that his country would only accept surrender, telling Armenian military formations they need to “raise the white flag” (BBC)
Humanitarian Aid Reaches Nagorno-Karabakh
Much needed shipments of humanitarian aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived in the region via two routes—the Lanchin corridor and the Aghdam road—after decision-makers in Armenia and Azerbaijan reached a “humanitarian consensus” (Al Jazeera)
Kremlin: Tensions Rising Over Nagorno-Karabakh
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed concerns that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region were increasing after Armenia’s prime minister described the humanitarian situation in the territory as “critical” (Reuters)
Azerbaijan Conducts Large Scale Air Defense Drills
The Azeri Ministry of Defense said the drill included live-firing of the Israeli-made Barak-8 ER air defense system; Azerbaijan has increasingly strengthened its security relationship with Israel since 2011 (Haaretz)
Russian Aid Reaches Karabakh Through Azerbaijan
The aid entered Karabakh through the Agdam road in Azerbaijan; the Lachin Corridor has not reopened (BBC)
Meanwhile, Armenia began joint military exercises with the United States amidst tensions with its traditional ally, Russia (VoA)
Azerbaijan, Karabakh Authorities Announce Deal To Reopen Lachin Corridor, Road From Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan and the enclave’s breakaway authorities announced a deal to simultaneously reopen the Lachin Corridor and a route linking Azerbaijan to Nagorno-Karabakh (Guardian)
Nagorno-Karabakh Police: Azerbaijan Opened Fired on Farmers Again
The police released an image of a vehicle damaged by the shooting but said no one was hurt; they reported the incident to Russian peacekeepers (Armenpress)
Former ICC Prosecutor Says Azerbaijan Is Committing Genocide Against Armenians
Former International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said in a report released this week that there is a “reasonable basis” to conclude that Azerbaijan is committing genocide against ethnic Armenians by blockading food, medical supplies, and other essential aid to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region; Ocampo called for the UN Security Council to bring the matter before the ICC (AP)
Amnesty International: Armenian Public Figures Targeted with Spyware During Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
A joint investigation with other digital rights groups found evidence of spyware on the devices of public figures, including high-level government officials, with targeting coinciding with key moments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (VOA)
Medical Convoys from Nagorno-Karabakh Halted After Arrest by Azerbaijan
Armenia suspended the transfer of critically ill patients from the region after Azerbaijani authorities arrested a man traveling with the Red Cross to Armenia for treatment (Politico)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has joined calls for Azerbaijan to open the Lachin corridor to ease the humanitarian crisis the closure has caused in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenpress)
Azerbaijan Blocks Armenian Convoy to Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan called the convoy a “provocation,” while Armenia said the trucks carry much-needed food and supplies for Nagorno-Karabakh residents and called on Russian peacekeepers to escort the aid; Azerbaijan has blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the only road from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, for seven months (RFE/RL)
Armenian Protesters Pile Food Outside UN Office over Nagorno-Karabakh Blockade
Amid Azerbaijan’s blockade that left shelves empty in Nagorno-Karabakh, protesters in Yerevan called on the UN to deliver food and supplies to the region (RFE/RL)
Armenian PM: War with Azerbaijan “Very Likely”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh as tensions simmer over the Lachin corridor that connects Armenia to the breakaway region; the leader laid out Armenia’s red lines and said war will remain “very likely” until the two sides sign and ratify a peace agreement (AFP)