At least 27 deaths reported: Azerbaijan bombs Nagorno-Karabakh

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According to local information, the Azerbaijani military operation in the South Caucasus claimed the lives of more than 20 people in the affected Nagorno-Karabakh region on its first day. So far, 27 deaths have been confirmed, including two civilians, Human Rights Commissioner for the internationally unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Gegam Stepanyan, wrote on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening. More than 200 people were injured in the conflict area. In total, about 7,000 residents of 16 locations were brought to safety by Azerbaijani shelling.

Authoritarian Azerbaijan began its broad military operation to conquer Nagorno-Karabakh in the morning. Although the region is within Azerbaijani territory, most of it is inhabited by Armenians. The two former Soviet neighbors have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. In the most recent war in 2020, the Azerbaijani army, well equipped with oil and gas revenues, had already conquered large parts of Karabakh.

Azerbaijan cited the laying down of arms and the resignation of the Armenian leadership in the Nagorno-Karabakh region as a condition for the end of the current military operation. Otherwise the fighting would last until the end.

Sharp international criticism

Azerbaijan is internationally criticized for its violent actions. For example, the federal government demanded from the leadership in Baku an immediate halt to the military campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh. “Armenia and Azerbaijan are now in a very critical situation, and therefore it is very clear to us that these acts of war must end immediately,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, 65, said on the sidelines of the general UN debate in New York. York.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, 42, demanded: “Azerbaijan must immediately stop the shelling and return to the negotiating table.” The US government was also “deeply concerned” by the current developments and called on Azerbaijan to immediately cease hostilities.

However, Azerbaijan received support from Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 69, said his country supports the steps to “protect the regional integrity of Azerbaijan.”

Role of Russia

Turkey, also predominantly Muslim, is considered Azerbaijan’s protective power, while Christian Orthodox Armenia traditionally depends on the support of Russia, which has also stationed its own soldiers in the region. Now, however, Moscow mainly needs its fighters for its own war of aggression against Ukraine.

Observers therefore already feared that Azerbaijan could use this unstable situation for military action. Even before the latest shelling began, the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh was catastrophic as Azerbaijan blocked Armenia’s only access to the exclave – the so-called Lachin corridor.

Violent anti-government protests broke out in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Tuesday evening, with some clashes with police. The demonstrators demanded more decisive action from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and support for the Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. (SDA)

Source: Blick