Karabakh – The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan abruptly came to an end this week. This occurred only hours after it looked like the war could become bloodier. The war was on the verge of escalating into ethnic cleansing. So far, this heart-wrenching war took the lives of approximately 6,000 people.
On Sunday, Azerbaijani forces took over the city of Susha (Armenians call it Sushi), Karabakh’s second-largest city. In an unexpected turn of events on Monday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace deal with Russia and Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan said “It’s not a victory, but there’s no defeat. I made this decision as a result of the current military situation.”
Later on, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed this peace accord. Russia plays a major role in this conflict. Almost immediately after the attack on a Russian helicopter, the peace deal was signed. Now, hundreds of Armenians are rioting — unhappy with this development.
Protesters are storming government buildings in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan. Besides, demonstrators feel that Pashinyan betrayed Armenia. Armenian people are calling Pashinyan a “traitor.”
Effective immediately, Armenia loses military control of Nagorno-Karabakh. With this, Azerbaijan will reverse the balance of power in the region. In short, Armenia lost the war.
Under the terms of the peace agreement, Armenia will withdraw troops from Nagorno-Karabakh along with seven surrounding territories by December 1, 2020. Ethnic Armenians will retain control of the city of Stepanakert, in addition to some areas to the north of Azerbaijan. However, none of what Armenia retains is strategically significant.
The power that ethnic Armenians have held for decades is gone. How bad will the protests be now?
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Afia is a lawyer, journalist, an avid traveler, an avid reader, a foodie, and an amateur singer. She enjoys instrumental music with her glass of wine ?
