Azerbaijani troops enter Agdam district in accordance with trilateral agreement

 

The trilateral statement was signed by Azerbaijan’s president, Russia’s president, and Armenia’s prime minister on November 20

BAKU, Nov 20 - Subdivisions of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces entered the Agdam district on Friday, the press service of the republic’s Defense Ministry reported.

"According to the trilateral statement, signed by Azerbaijan’s President, Russia’s President, and Armenia’s Prime Minister, on November 20, units of the Azerbaijani army entered the Agdam district," the statement said.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and the bodies of those killed.

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COURTESY TASS.COM

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Azerbaijan reclaims disputed land in Karabakh peace deal

 

Armenia returns Nagorno-Karabakh territory captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia was due to hand over disputed territory to Azerbaijan on Friday as part of a contentious Russian-brokered peace accord that ended weeks of brutal fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Armenian residents of Azerbaijan’s Aghdam district hurriedly picked pomegranates and persimmons from trees surrounding their homes and packed vans with furniture, AFP journalists said, before fleeing before the official deadline to cede the mountainous province.

“We wanted to build a sauna, kitchen. But now I had to dismantle everything. And I’ll burn down the house with everything I own when I leave,” Gagik Grigoryan, a 40-year-old electrical worker, told AFP before abandoning his home.

Columns of tanks and troop transporters filled with waving Armenian fighters rolled out of the territory through dense fog ahead of Friday’s deadline to vacate the region.

Fierce clashes between Azerbaijan’s forces and Armenian separatists broke out in late September in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The brutal war lasted six weeks, leaving thousands dead and displacing many more.

The longstanding ex-Soviet rivals finally agreed to end hostilities last week under the framework of a Russian-brokered accord that sees Moscow deploy peacekeepers to the region and requires Armenia to cede swathes of territory.

Separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding districts captured the territory and claimed independence that has not been recognised internationally, even by Armenia, following a post-Soviet 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.

As part of last week’s peace deal, Armenia agreed to return some 15 to 20 percent of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory captured by Azerbaijan in recent fighting, including the historical town of Shusha.

The exchange of territory was originally due to begin Sunday, with Armenians in the Kalbajar district fleeing en masse before the official deadline for Azerbaijan’s takeover.

But Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev postponed the deadline by one week over “humanitarian” considerations.

Russia boasts return of refugees

In addition to Friday’s deadline to cede Aghdam, Armenia will hand over the Kalbajar district wedged between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia on November 25 and the Lachin district by December 1.

The Russian peacekeeping force of some 2,000 troops has deployed to the administrative centre of the region, Stepanakert, and set up checkpoints and observation posts along the strategic Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

While Armenians in the provinces to be handed over to Azerbaijan have left in an exodus, the Russian mission on Thursday said it had bussed some 3,000 residents back to Stepanakert and other regions who had fled during the six weeks of heavy shelling.

Most of Azerbaijan’s south-western district of Aghdam has been under the control of Armenian separatists since 1993. Before the post-Soviet war it was inhabited by some 130,000 people — mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis who were expelled from their homes.

Armenia’s health ministry said earlier this week that more than 2,400 of the country’s fighters had been killed in the fighting. Azerbaijan has not revealed its military fatalities.

After the peace accord was signed last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said total fatalities that include dozens of civilians had surpassed 4,000 people.

Russia’s decisive role in the settlement has sidelined international players the United States and France, which brokered a ceasefire in the 1990s but failed to deliver a long-term resolution.

During the most recent conflict, France, the United States and Russia attempted to broker three separate ceasefires that collapsed as Armenia and Azerbaijan accused the other of violations.

French President Emmanuel Macron this week urged Russia to clarify “ambiguities” over the Moscow-brokered ceasefire, including Turkey’s role in the peacekeeping mission.

Azerbaijan has insisted on a prominent role for its staunch ally Turkey, which was widely accused by Western countries, Russia and Armenia of supplying Baku with mercenary fighters from Syria over the weeks of fighting.

The Kremlin has poured cold water on Ankara’s hopes of deploying peacekeepers alongside Russian troops in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding provinces and instead insisted that Turkey would observe the truce from monitoring posts in Azerbaijan.

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COURTESY SAMAA.TV

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Pakistan is close ally to Azerbaijan, says Ali Alizad

 

Islamabad: Ambassador Ali Alizada reiterated Azerbaijan gratitude to Pakistan for unwavering political and moral support for the just cause.

Talking at the seminar organized by the local think tank, Measac Research Institute (MRC) in collaboration with the embassy of Azerbaijan in Islamabad, the envoy hailed strong bilateral ties with Pakistan. 

He said that Pakistan is close ally and has always stood by Azerbaijan during the difficult times.  He talked about the latest provocations, aggression and war crimes of Armenia against Azerbaijan, and the successful peace enforcement operation and victory of Azerbaijan on this conflict.

Mr. Abdullah Gul -DG MRC in his introductory remarks shared the analysed all salient facets. Senator Talha Mahmood talked about the humanitarian aspect of the conflict.

Diplomats and opinion makers applauded the intellectual activity with bounds of COVID-19. On this occasion defense experts including , General ( R) Amjad Shoaib, Gen ( R) Asad Duranj , Maj. Gen. Shamriaz, Brig (r) Asif Haroon Raja, media analyst Dr Shaid Masood ,  Dr Zafar Jaspal, were also present.

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COURTESY shamimpakistan.blogspot.com

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Armenian aggression left Azerbaijan with no option but to go into war to defend its territories

 

Ambassador of Azerbaijan Ali Alizada thanks Pakistan for support; speakers highlight valiant struggle of Azerbaijani armed forces

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Azerbaijan, Ali Alizada has thanked Pakistan govt and people of Pakistan for whole-heartedly supporting Azerbaijan on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh.

He expressed these views while speaking on the occasion of seminar organized by Measac Research Institute (MRC) on Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, military and political resolution in collaboration with the Embassy of Azerbaijan.

Message of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev was also screened on the occasion. The Azerbaijan president described events that led to war and how Armenian aggression left Azerbaijan with no option but to go into war to defend its territories.

Ali Alizada praised the organizers and speakers. He talked about the latest provocations, aggression and war crimes of Armenia against Azerbaijan, and the successful peace enforcement operation and victory of Azerbaijan on this conflict.

He thanked Pakistan for the political and moral support extended for the just cause of Azerbaijan. Diplomats and opinion makers applauded this intellectual activity within bounds of COVID -19 environment.

Mohammad Abdullah Hamid Gul Director General Measac Research Centre (MRC) introduced the subject. Seminar was attended by Ambassadors and diplomats of Islamic countries, retired Generals and Brigadiers. Brigadier (R) Abdul Rahman Bilal, analyzed all salient facets. Senator Talha Mahmud covered the humanitarian aspect of the conflict. The country of Azerbaijan liberated its occupied territories from Armenia.

Arsalan Ayaz was the mediator of proceeding who thanked the participants from different walks of life for their active participation and value inputs in the discussion.  On this occasion defense experts including , General ( R) Amjad Shoaib, Gen ( R) Asad Duranj , Maj Gen Shamriaz, Brig (r) Asif Haroon Raja, media analyst Dr. Shahid Masood ,  Dr. Zafar Jaspal, were also present.

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COURTESY DNA NEWS

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Azerbaijan gives Armenia 10 more days to leave Kalbajar

BAKU - Azerbaijan on Sunday gave Armenia 10 more days to evacuate Kalbajar district, which borders Nagorno-Karabakh, due to climatic and natural conditions, an official said.

In a press conference, Hikmet Hajiyev, the foreign policy aide to the Azerbaijani president, said through Russia, Yerevan asked for more time to leave the district occupied in 1993.

"By displaying humanity," Azerbaijan accepted the request to leave the region, which was under occupation for 27 years, he said.

Due to extreme weather conditions, the only road in that direction, Zod-Varnenis, is narrow, he said, adding that taking these conditions into consideration, Azerbaijan gave Armenia more time to evacuate its civilians.

About 60,000 Azerbaijanis living in the region, when it was occupied, were forced to abandon their homes who then moved to various regions of Azerbaijan.

Yerevan also brought Armenians to Kalbajar -- where no Armenians had been living before -- and settled them illegally.

Karabakh conflict

Relations between the ex-Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, and the Armenian army continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, even violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements, for 44 days.

Baku liberated several cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation during this time.

On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end fighting, and work towards a comprehensive solution.

Turkey welcomed the truce, which is a result of Baku's military successes and has given it an upper hand over Yerevan to resolve the three-decade-long dispute.

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COURTESY THE NATION

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