Azerbaijan accuses Russia of not fulfilling its commitments under the 2020 ceasefire agreement over the conflict with Armenia in the Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moscow is doing nothing to prevent Armenia from supplying military equipment to separatists in the enclave, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baku said on Sunday. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels on Saturday.
“The Russian side did not guarantee the full implementation of the agreement within the framework of its obligations,” the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at loggerheads over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is inhabited mainly by Armenians. There have already been two wars with thousands of dead. After six weeks of fighting that left more than 6,500 dead in 2020, Russia negotiated a ceasefire agreement that forced Armenia to cede large areas. Since then, there have been deadly clashes on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Under the agreement, Russian troops are responsible for monitoring the ceasefire. These also protect the so-called Lachin Corridor, the only connection between the regional capital Stepanakert and Armenia. Azerbaijan blocked the road on Tuesday, sparking protests and fears of a supply crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Azerbaijan to reopen the road.
Also on Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met for EU-brokered peace talks in Brussels. According to Brussels, the meeting with the President of the Council of the EU, Charles Michel, was aimed at lasting peace in the South Caucasus and the normalization of relations between the two countries. “First of all, violence and harsh rhetoric must stop to create a suitable environment for peace and normalization negotiations,” Michel said after talks with Aliyev and Pashinyan.
These are intended to end hostilities that have lasted for decades. “Real progress depends on the next steps that need to be taken in the near future,” Michel said on behalf of the European Union. Local people need guarantees, especially about their rights and security. Aliyev and Pashinyan had no comment after the meeting.
In addition to the EU, the US also urges the warring parties to conclude a peace agreement. More recently, the foreign ministers of the US, Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Washington in late June.
Russia also wants to exert influence. Moscow’s government is a formal ally of Armenia, but it also seeks good relations with Azerbaijan. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it was ready to organize a tripartite meeting with Armenia and Azerbaijan at ministerial level. That could be followed by a summit in Moscow to sign a peace treaty.
From the point of view of the United Nations, Nagorno-Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians, belongs to Azerbaijan. However, the enclave declared its independence from the Baku government in 1991. The two former Soviet republics have fought over the area for decades. In 2020, the conflict escalated into a war that ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire.
Tensions flared again in the spring. Despite repeated attempts at negotiations, key agreements are still pending. Among other things, these are demarcation lines and prisoner exchanges.
It was already the sixth EU-mediated discussion in just under two years. In May, representatives of the two countries met in Washington, Brussels and Moscow. Moscow views EU-US mediation efforts with suspicion, considering the Caucasus region as a Russian sphere of influence.