Nagorno-Karabakh: Civilians among the first victims of the new-old conflict

(Patria) – Armenian authorities announced that at least 16 people lost their lives and around 100 were injured in the fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.

The President of Azerbaijan claims that there were civilian casualties as well.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnically Armenian-majority region within Azerbaijan that has not been under the control of the Azerbaijani government since 1994, when Russia mediated peace between the two countries.

Since then, both sides have established and maintained a significant military presence along the demilitarized zone separating the region from the rest of Azerbaijan.  

Amidst the escalating fighting, both countries have declared a state of emergency, meaning the military has taken over civilian government.

Armenia claims Azerbaijan attacked first, while the Azerbaijani government claims it was a counter-offensive.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the 'aggression was planned' and that it represents a 'major provocation aimed at regional peace and security'.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense announced that two Azerbaijani government helicopters were shot down, and that Armenian forces hit three Azerbaijani tanks.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reported on civilian casualties from the exchange of fire at a security meeting.

- Armenia's military provocation is a planned provocation. They have been preparing for this for a long time. We have operational intelligence that Armenia is planning a new war against us, Aliyev stated.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also commented – he tweeted that he is 'deeply concerned' about the situation and that 'military action must stop immediately to prevent further escalation'.

The ruling party of Turkey also commented, with its spokesperson Omer Celik tweeting that the party leadership 'strongly condemns Armenia's attack on Azerbaijan. Armenia has once again issued a provocation by ignoring the law'. He also wrote that 'Armenia is playing with fire and endangering regional peace'.

Euronews reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin also reacted immediately, speaking by phone with the Armenian Prime Minister and expressing 'deep concern' over the conflict.

The former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan do not have formal diplomatic relations.

The disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh became part of Azerbaijan upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, during the process of independence of the former republics.

However, in 1988, the ethnic Armenian majority in the region began mass protests, demanding unification with Armenia, which consequently led to a war in the Nagorno-Karabakh territory that lasted until the ceasefire in 1994, but a peace agreement was never signed.

Most countries recognize the region as Azerbaijani territory, and in 2008, the UN adopted a resolution supporting this, calling for the withdrawal of Armenian forces.

The European Parliament also called for the withdrawal of Armenian forces in 2010, but on the condition that international forces be deployed to the disputed territory to monitor it during a transitional period.

The conflicts that resumed in 2016 resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties until a ceasefire was (again) mediated by Russia.