Armenia will be given more time to withdraw troops from the northwest of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has agreed to a later deadline on Sunday, an adviser to the president said.
According to a peace agreement signed earlier this month, the Armenians had until Sunday to leave the Kalbajar region, which had been captured by Azerbaijan in the war that flared up in the disputed region in late September. The Armenians now have ten days longer (until November 25) to surrender the area to Azerbaijan.
Armenia argued that it needed more time because there is only one avenue for the withdrawal to take place. Troops are now allowed to stay longer in Kalbajar and Armenian residents of the area are also given more time to pack their things. Residents already set homes on fire before they fled to Armenia.
According to the peace agreement, Azerbaijan is allowed to keep the conquered areas. The Armenian opposition sees the deal as treason and even planned a coup d’état, National Security Service reported. Saturday. Part of that plan was to assassinate Prime Minister Nikol Pasjinian.
Last week, the Armenian authorities arrested ten prominent opposition members suspected of organizing “illegal and violent riots” on a large scale.
Other regions in Nagorno-Karabakh that Azerbaijan conquered will have later withdrawal deadlines. They remain unchanged.
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