Dozens Killed as Fighting Erupts Between Azerbaijan and Armenia

The Nogorno-Karabakh Defense Army is made up of ethnic Armenians, but the disputed region falls within Azerbaijan’s borders. (Flickr)

Dozens of soldiers have died in engagements between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops since September 27. Many citizens have perished while hundreds have sustained injury. The fighting has raged in the strategic South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, through which natural gas and oil pipelines run to international markets. 

A mostly mountainous region about the size of Delaware, Nagorno-Karabakh lies roughly 30 miles from the Armenian border. Nagorno-Karabakh, which has an Armenian majority, seceded from Azerbaijan after a three-year long war during the 1990s; during the war, 30,000 people died, and a million more were displaced. Despite this, Nagorno-Karabakh has yet to receive international recognition as an independent republic. Ethnic Armenians have administered the area since the ceasefire in 1994.

Fighting continued through the week, with each side accusing the other of using heavy artillery to target civilians and endanger communities. Armenian authorities reported 104 military deaths and at least twenty-three civilian casualties. Azerbaijan reported another 130 military deaths with 200 of their troops wounded. 

If the border skirmish continues, it risks drawing in larger regional powers such as Russia and Turkey. The latter has consistently sided with its Azerbaijani allies, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calling for Armenia to “immediately leave the territory it is occupying” in order to restore “peace and harmony.”

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which France, Russia, and the United States co-chair, has called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities between … relevant military forces.” Turkey, however, rebuffed the three countries, saying that they have no role in mediating the conflict “given that the [they] have neglected this problem for nearly 30 years.” The OSCE, inaugurated in 1992, has aimed to manage conflict in the South Caucasus region, however, since the 1994 ceasefire agreement, talks to resolve the situation have remained at an impasse.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to accuse one another of violating past agreements. Russia recently offered to host a new summit to encourage peace talks, however, neither country expressed interest. At any rate, the Kremlin and the UN Security Council continue to monitor the situation and plan to work towards achieving a new peace accord as soon as possible.