Azerbaijan is requesting the surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry of Russia announced that their peacekeeping forces have initiated the process of removing civilians from Nagorno-Karabakh, a region predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, which has declared independence from Azerbaijan.

According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, a total of 469 individuals, including 185 children, were relocated to the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s site during the day. The statement further mentioned that the troops offered medical aid to multiple injured civilians, including children.

Moscow sent a 2,000-member Russian peacekeeping corps to the region in order to oversee a ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020. This deployment followed a brief conflict where Baku made significant advancements.

On Tuesday, the regional separatist authorities also announced the evacuation of six villages.

Azerbaijan’s authorities expressed their willingness to cease operations and engage in negotiations, on the condition that separatists surrender their weapons.

The authorities in Baku also insisted on the total disbandment of the self-proclaimed governing body in the separatist region.

“I cannot reword”

After launching an attack on the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan asserted that it would ensure the safety of the ethnic-Armenian inhabitants and called for the withdrawal of separatist troops.

Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev stated on social media that the Constitution and international obligations of Azerbaijan will ensure the rights and security of civilians with Armenian heritage in the Karabakh region. He also emphasized the need for Armenian forces to disband and disarm.

“I cannot reword”

Baerbock, while at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, emphasized the need for Azerbaijan to cease shelling and resume negotiations promptly.

“The diplomat emphasized the utmost importance of safeguarding the civilian population residing in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is also the responsibility of the Russian soldiers deployed in the region.”

Russian troops stationed in the region were deployed to monitor the ceasefire Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to in 2020, in the wake of a six-day war. Azerbaijan’s ally Turkey was also monitoring the fragile peace.

Baerbock stated that Berlin is in favor of peace negotiations as the sole way ahead, asserting that “Given the current intensification, they are now more crucial than ever.”

On Tuesday, the leaders of Nagorno Karabakh, a region predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, proposed a halt in hostilities.

The press office of the authority stated that it was suggesting discussions with Baku after Azerbaijan’s declared “anti-terrorist” actions in the separatist area, which were announced a few hours ago.

France has called for an immediate meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to the actions taken by Baku.

The military operation initiated by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be justified, according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry.

France expressed concern that the ongoing conflict endangers numerous civilians who are already suffering from a prolonged unlawful blockade. This situation contradicts the global community’s attempts to achieve a peaceful resolution through negotiations.

Paris stated that it was collaborating with its allies to develop a robust reaction to what Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna described as an unlawful, unjustifiable, and intolerable action.

She expressed her intention to highlight that Azerbaijan is being held accountable for the well-being of Armenians residing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

A separatist official in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region reported that five individuals lost their lives and 80 others were injured due to attacks carried out by the Azerbaijani military. The military referred to these operations as “anti-terrorist.” Among the injured, fifteen were civilians.

Gegham Stepanyan, the ombudsman for human rights in the Azerbaijani enclave controlled by ethnic Armenians, stated that eight children were among those injured.

Armenia has alleged that Azerbaijan initiated a “ground operation” in the contested Nagorno-Karabakh area, although Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that his military was not participating in the conflict.

Pashinyan stated in a televised speech that Azerbaijan has initiated a military operation with the intention of carrying out ethnic cleansing against the Armenians residing in Karabakh.

He stated that there is no military presence of Armenia in the region.

“At present, the situation remains calm across the entire border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

Russia stated on Tuesday that it received notification of Azerbaijan’s operation just moments before it commenced, refuting any claims of prior knowledge.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that the media reports claiming that Azerbaijan had given prior warning to the Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area are not true.

Zakharova stated that the information was conveyed to the Russian group shortly before the commencement of hostilities.

The breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region’s Armenian separatists have alleged that Azerbaijani forces are attempting to make progress into the area.

“The Azerbaijani military is making efforts to make progress into Artsakh,” it stated, employing an Armenian term for the region. “The Defense Forces persist in opposing Azerbaijan’s attack across the entire contact line.”

The European Union has urged Azerbaijan to cease its military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh without delay, following Baku’s announcement of launching “anti-terrorist” actions.

European Council President Charles Michel expressed on social media that there is distressing news emerging from the former Nagorno-Karabakh oblast today.

He advocated for the permission of a “real conversation between Baku and Karabakh Armenians.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed the bloc’s condemnation of the military escalation and its sorrow for the loss of lives.

Borrell stated that the military escalation should not be exploited to compel the local population to flee. He emphasized the importance of ending violence in order to create a suitable atmosphere for peace negotiations and normalization.
 

Armenia has alleged that Azerbaijan initiated a significant act of aggression towards the Nagorno-Karabakh area, asserting that Baku is aiming to carry out “ethnic cleansing” in the region, where a substantial number of individuals are of Armenian descent.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry stated that Azerbaijan initiated another extensive act of aggression on September 19 against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, with the intention of carrying out ethnic cleansing as part of its policy.

Azerbaijan has announced the establishment of humanitarian pathways for civilians while carrying out what it refers to as “anti-terrorist” actions in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh area.

The Defense Ministry stated that in order to guarantee the safe evacuation of the population from the danger zone, they have set up humanitarian corridors and reception points along the Lachin road and in various other directions.

The Lachin corridor connects the enclave to Armenia.

Since December, Nagorno-Karabakh had been deprived of essential assistance due to the closure of the only road connecting it to Armenia by Azerbaijan. However, on Monday, just before Azerbaijan’s military operation, the International Committee of the Red Cross managed to dispatch trucks loaded with food and medicine to the region.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has released a statement calling on Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh to intervene and halt Baku’s “complete aggression.”

Since the conclusion of the 2020 war, Russian forces have remained in the contested area. Nevertheless, Armenia has expressed that Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict has diverted Moscow’s attention.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan insisted that Armenian forces must completely withdraw from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region as a prerequisite for peace. Azerbaijan stated that this demand was made following the commencement of their “anti-terrorist operations.”

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry stated that the sole solution for attaining peace and stability in the area is the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, along with the dismantling of the self-proclaimed [Armenian separatist] government.

The Defense Ministry of Armenia stated that there were no personnel or equipment at the location. in the breakaway region.

Azerbaijan has informed its Turkish partner about the “anti-terrorist” actions taking place in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh area.

The ministry released a statement stating that Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister, Zakir Gasanov, had a conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Yasar Guler, concerning the operations.