Armenia and Azerbaijan Conflict Explained: Armenia and Azerbaijan are two neighboring countries and former Republics of the Soviet Union in the Caucasus region. The two countries have been fighting over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1980s. The two have been engaged in periodic armed conflict that has often resulted in war. 

In 2020, a ceasefire agreed upon by both countries appeared to put an end to the hostilities. However, this month saw the renewal of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the bloodiest round of conflict since 2020. 

According to the defense ministry of Azerbaijan, 77 of its soldiers perished in the recent conflict. 135 of Armenia's troops died, according to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. A cease-fire agreement on September 14th, 2022, has stopped the carnage temporarily. 

The question arises. Why are Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting? How did the war start?

Background of Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Explained

Source: Al Jazeera.com

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been going on for more than two decades. The conflict began after Armenia, which was then part of the Soviet Union, declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. The region of Nagorno-Karabakh is located within Azerbaijan but also borders Armenia, with both sides claiming ownership of it. 

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been a flashpoint for conflict between the two countries. The region is home to various ethnic groups, including Armenians, Azeris, Kurds, and Russians. In 1988, it gained de facto independence from Azerbaijan. Since then, fighting over the territory has escalated and intensified until both countries declared war on each other in 1992. The war left as many as 30,000 dead, displaced millions, and led to the creation of an Armenian-backed separatist state called Artsakh (formerly known as Nagorno-Karabakh). 

In May 1994, a truce negotiated by Russia was agreed upon, which prompted an international intervention. In the years that followed the truce in 1994, some clashes still ensued, and a severe clash in 2016 resulted in the deaths of several troops from both sides.

The failure of negotiation attempts, rising militarization, and persistent cease-fire breaches in Nagorno-Karabakh have escalated the likelihood of armed war. Heavy violence along the border flared up in late September 2020, marking the worst escalation since 2016. More than a thousand military personnel and civilians have died, and both sides have sustained hundreds of injuries. At first, Armenia and Azerbaijan defied calls for negotiations and an end to hostilities from the United Nations and nations like the US and Russia and vowed to battle on.

Read More: Armenia-Azerbaijan agree to a humanitarian ceasefire

What is Russia’s Role in the Conflict?

Russia is a leading member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the CSTO charter, Russia is a party to the conflict that has not yet been resolved. Its military presence in the region dates back to 1993, when it stationed troops there as part of a peacekeeping mission after an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was signed under Russian mediation. As part of this mission, Russia maintains an air base at Gyumri that is used for training and combat missions against separatists in Karabakh, as well as for surveillance missions over Armenia.

In January 2002, after months of negotiations, Russia and Turkey signed a treaty that paved the way for their participation in an international peacekeeping force (OPF) on the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact (LoC). The OPF was established in March 2003. In October 2003, Russia led a 15-nation international peacekeeping force into Nagorno-Karabakh to monitor compliance with the ceasefire agreement signed on February 12, 1994. 

The war ended with a ceasefire declared in 1994, but hostilities continued until 1996, when both sides signed an agreement on the "Armistice of August 1994". In September 2016, Russia again brokered an agreement between the two countries that would ease tensions and lead to the withdrawal of troops from territories surrounding Karabakh. 

Despite being a military partner of Armenia under a regional security agreement, Russia mediated the 2020 peace agreement between the two nations and has long attempted to maintain peace in this region of the Caucasus. But because of the crisis in Ukraine, Russia’s influence is waning in the region. 

What is the UN Doing?

The UN has a high-level political body called the Minsk Group that was formed to find a solution to the conflict. This group includes Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine. The OSCE Minsk Group has been trying to mediate a peaceful resolution to the conflict for years but failed.

Following the recent update on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict, a peace treaty has been brokered again on September 14th, 2022. Miroslav Jenča, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas, said, “We welcome this agreement and hope the ceasefire will hold”. 

He said the UN Country Teams in both countries “maintain open channels with the authorities and stand prepared to respond to emerging humanitarian needs if requested, and as conditions allow.”