On Wednesday, Azerbaijan announced that it had successfully assumed full control of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, following the decision by local Armenian forces to lay down their arms, marking a significant development in the long-standing conflict.

The authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnically Armenian region that had managed its affairs without international recognition since the conflict began in the early 1990s, declared midday that their local self-defense forces would disarm and disband under a cease-fire mediated by Russia.

They further stated that representatives from the region would commence talks on Thursday with the government in Baku regarding the “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan, the Associated Press reported.

Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, hailed the victory in a televised address to the nation, asserting that “Azerbaijan has fulfilled all the tasks set for local anti-terrorist operations” and has “reasserted its sovereignty” in just one day.

On the preceding Tuesday, the Azerbaijani military launched an artillery barrage and drone attacks against the outnumbered and under-resourced pro-Armenian forces in the region.

These forces had already been weakened due to a blockade in the southern Caucasus Mountains, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Gegham Stepanyan, the human rights ombudsman for Nagorno-Karabakh, reported that the fighting had resulted in at least 200 casualties, including 10 civilians, with over 400 others sustaining injuries.

He had also previously mentioned that children were among those who had tragically lost their lives or were wounded during the conflict.

Written by staff