Half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has been displaced due to the recent fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, officials from the ethnic Armenian enclave said on Wednesday. The population of Nagorno-Karabakh is about 150,000.
“According to our preliminary estimates, some 50 percent of Karabakh’s population and 90 percent of women and children — some 70,000 to 75,000 people — have been displaced,” Nagorno-Karabakh’s rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told AFP.
The latest numbers put the death toll for the battle that began on September 27th around 360, including dozens of civilians on both sides. The real number is believed to be much larger since Azerbaijan has yet to confirm military casualties.
Azerbaijan has been accused of indiscriminately shelling Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert. The human rights organization Amnesty International said it identified Israeli-made cluster bombs that appear to have been used by Azerbaijan in Stepanakert. Cluster munitions are banned under a convention signed by over 100 countries, although neither Azerbaijan, Armenia, or Israel have signed it.
Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The collapse of the Soviet Union turned the border dispute deadly, and tens of thousands were killed until a ceasefire was reached in 1994. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh has operated as a de facto independent state with Armenian support.
The latest clashes are the heaviest the disputed territory has seen since 1994. The US, France, and Russia co-chair the Minsk Group, which was formed in 1992 to promote negotiations and talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh. The three countries are meeting in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the renewed fighting.
Unless Russia and Amerikastan (France is irrelevant) are willing to impose real pain on the Ottomans*, nothing will happen. This is an Ottoman war of expansion; Azerbaijan is merely a puppet.
*They won’t. Russia has been assiduously appeasing Sultan Erdogan since it saved his bacon in the 2016 coup. Amerikastan will never do anything to push the Ottomans to quit NATO. The Ottomans still have the second largest and by far the best (indeed the only competent) military in NATO, and besides occupy one of the most strategically located parts of the world, across the chokepoint of the Black Sea. Amerikastan and Russia (France is still totally irrelevant) would rather throw Nagorno Karabakh under the bus.
You need facts — and this article fails on
too many counts.
First — look at the map. It does not show facts on the ground. AROUND Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenian occupied areas (7) that was once populated by Azeris. Hundreds of thousands Azeris fled. Today, those are ruins of former villages and townships. Thus, Nagorno-Karabakh has land connection to Armenia.
The article talks of NK towns shelled, nothing about Azeri towns shelled. In fact, Azerbaijan shelled only NK, and destroyed some military building and surrounding residential areas, but never shelled Armenia proper. Which is not true of Armenia that shelled Azerbaijan.
In reality, Baku does not want to conquer NK — as it is geographically hard to reach.
But Baku wants a victory in returning some if not all lowlands— and be able to claim victory by enabling at least one hundred thousand people reclaim their properties, mostly land.
Baku hopes that without this buffer NK and Armenia would be willing to discuss NK status — which Baku sees mainly as autonomy within Azerbaijan.
Remains to be seen if Jerevan can match its bluster with diplomatic skills.
Thus far — it alienated Russia last two years, and expressed the desire to move more towards US and France. Both coming hard in Erdogan for suggesting somebody should help Azerbaijan get back its regions that were inhabited by Azeri.
Russia has protected Yerevan for decades, but now it is more even handed. Yerevan is clearly angling to become another Georgia — its neighbor with US forces.
It is a geopolitical game with the new leadership in Yerevan casting their eyes towards US.
This is why its fellow CSTO members support Azerbaijan — including Belarus.
The map shows the *extremely obvious* Azeri-Ottoman-headchopper alliance tactic: to bypass the fortified Armenian positions in Nagorno Karabakh in a pincer movement from North and South while shelling Stepanakert and other towns to provoke a refugee exodus. This is already working with large parts of the population leaving. Even if the Armenian positions hold out they’ll be cut off eventually. And shelling Azeri cities is a terminally stupid act, which even Pashinyan must be bright enough to avoid. On the other hand staging Armenian attacks on Azeri cities is eminently practical for Aliyev and Erdogan.
It’s just fact. The rights or wrongs of the matter have nothing to do with it.
What is the fact? You operate from an extreme emotion, You are beyond facts. And gleefully uninformed.
Our press is the demonization factory, and had Erdogan in crosshairs for a long, longtime.
Political machinations, an odd coup, obligatory sanctions.
But now — Turkey has crossed the line.
Anyone wondering why is US investing a fortune in trying to block Nord Stream and Turk Steam?
Why is US getting its panties into knots over East Med disputes? Who cares about Greece and Turkey. sparing over islands for the umpteenth time? Or around Cyprus?
You guessed it —Israel. Israel and US are planning gas pipeline to Greece, and to Europe. Never mind that Lebanon is being excluded, and that Israel is drilling in its “exclusive economic zone”. But wait — Israel is not a signatory to UNCLOS! Thus Israel has NO exclusive economic zone, as none has been negotiated with neighbors!
But now — Turkey is having none if it. It is claiming rights to drilling in area Cyprus claims.
So, Turkey is “meddling” with Cyprus and Greece — but no mention of Israel?
The truth is — Turkey will not let Israeli pipeline use its continental shelf to laying the pipe. It us protecting its tights, as any other transit country would do.
As Israel paid no heed to Turkey’s requests, and just proceeded to plan for pipeline with Greece.
Then unthinkable happened — Turkey and Libyan UN recognized government signed the maritime agreement on Mediterranean shelf. There is no building pipeline without those countries approving.
Now you do not step on Israel’s toes and nit pay the price. And when the trouble broke in Nagorno-Karabakh — Armenia’s Prime Minister is our fair headed child — and pesky Turkey is to help Azerbaijan! The undeserving and unheard Azerbaijan.
That cannot be! A NATO country interfering with grand designs,
So, expect Biden to be true to his word — and go for regime change in Turkey.
I can see he will have plenty of cheerleaders here.
Turkey touched the third rail — and since our media for ages has Erdogan demonized., Being Trump like in his rhetoric— it can be easy.
But the drumrolls have been rumbling since 2015.
Now reaching crescendos.
Time to learn all facts — enough cheerleading.
I believe, that like your *extremely obvious and total ignorance* when you tried to lecture me about Modi the other day, that you ought to actually stick to subjects, like Serbia, that you’re familiar with.