Azerbaijan announces commencement of "anti-terrorist actions" in Karabakh

This announcement was made through an official statement from the Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan stated that “these measures have been launched in the region to uphold the terms of the Tripartite Declaration, halt large-scale provocations within the Karabakh Economic Region, disarm and withdraw Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, neutralize their military infrastructure, ensure the safety of civilian populations who have returned to formerly occupied areas, facilitate reconstruction efforts, safeguard Azerbaijani servicemen, and reestablish the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan. These actions are of a localized nature, with the primary goal of combating terrorism.”

The Ministry of Defense highlighted that recent months have witnessed a significant escalation of tension due to the systematic targeting of Azerbaijani army positions by Armenian armed forces in the Karabakh region. This escalation has been accompanied by the fortification of combat positions, increased construction of trenches and dugouts, and a heightened state of combat readiness. 

Additionally, there have been reports of the expansion of reconnaissance activities against Azerbaijani army units, incursions into civilian areas for sabotage and terrorist purposes, and casualties among civilians resulting from pre-planted landmines.

The Ministry of Defense strongly condemned these acts, characterizing them as part of Armenia's deliberate and systematic terrorist policy against Azerbaijan.

It was emphasized that these measures specifically target the armed forces of Armenia, their long-standing firing positions, combat equipment, and military assets. The Ministry of Defense clarified that the civilian population and civilian infrastructure are not the intended targets; only legitimate military objectives are being engaged.

The Ministry of Defense has reported that the command of the Russian Federation's peacekeeping contingent and the leadership of the Turkish-Russian monitoring center have been informed about these actions.

Following this announcement, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has stated that Azerbaijani armed forces in the Aghdam direction are facing intense artillery fire from Armenian military positions.

Local media sources have also reported that Azerbaijan has temporarily closed its airspace to Russian military aircraft. As a result, Russian military planes transporting military cargo from Armenia to Russia have been rerouted over Iran and the Caspian Sea on their way to Rostov.

What's being reported in Armenia

The Armenian Ministry of Defense reported that as of 2 p.m. local time, the situation at the borders remains relatively stable.

Background on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has persisted for over 30 years, starting in the late 1980s. Nagorno-Karabakh was part of the Azerbaijan SSR during the Soviet era, although it had a predominantly Armenian population. In 1991, the region declared independence, naming itself the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, with support from Armenia.

During the armed conflict from 1988 to 1994, around 30,000 people lost their lives in the separatist region. Nagorno-Karabakh and several neighboring areas in Azerbaijan came under the control of Armenian armed forces. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of people, mainly ethnic Azerbaijanis, became refugees or internally displaced.

In November 2020, following another escalation, Azerbaijan regained control of territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and the significant city of Shusha (Shushi). A peace agreement was signed the day after Shusha's capture by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, putting an end to the conflict.

Per the agreement, the territories held by each side at the time of signing were confirmed. Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line.

Since then, sporadic military clashes have occurred in the region, with the latest escalation in March of this year resulting in casualties.

On May 14, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to take steps to demarcate the border, reaffirming the Almaty Declaration, recognizing Armenia's territorial integrity (29,800 sq. km) and Azerbaijan's (86,600 sq. km). The exact border delineation will be determined through negotiations.

On May 22, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during a press conference in Lithuania, expressed the inevitability of a peace agreement between the two nations. He hoped for peace in the Caucasus, indicating Azerbaijan's readiness for such an agreement. In return, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially acknowledged Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan's sovereign territory. Azerbaijan committed to upholding the rights and freedoms of the Armenian minority.

These agreements marked the end of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its governing bodies. Notably, these negotiations excluded Kremlin involvement and were mediated by the European Union and the United States.

On May 29, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that there was no finalized draft peace agreement with Azerbaijan available for signing at that time.

On June 5, Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, suggested that a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be reached by the end of the year.

On September 1, Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of shelling their territories along the shared border northwest of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On September 16, Elkhan Nuriev, a member of the Union of Officers of Ukraine and former head of the Nagorno-Karabakh defense staff (1992-1993), claimed that Russia was transferring Wagner fighters from Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor to Armenia.

The following day, it was reported that the Azerbaijani armed forces were increasing their military presence near Armenia and had painted their vehicles with "military insignia" resembling those used by the Russian army before the invasion of Ukraine.