Azerbaijan Accuses Russia and Armenia of Ceasefire Violations in Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Statement comes as the EU hosts talks between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Brussels.

Azerbaijan has accused Russia and Armenia of failing to fulfill a ceasefire deal in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. The criticism from the Azeri government came as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Brussels for talks aimed at resolving their decades-long conflict over the control of Nagorno Karabakh.

The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the small mountainous enclave, which is part of Azerbaijan but populated by ethnic Armenians, has resulted in two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2020, Azerbaijan took over areas that had been controlled by ethnic Armenians in and around the mountain enclave after heavy fighting and a Russian-brokered ceasefire.

Since then, Baku and Yerevan have been discussing a peace deal with the involvement of Russia. However, tensions have flared again with Azerbaijan blockading and closing the sole land link between Karabakh and Armenia, blaming it on “smuggling” by aid agencies. The Lachin corridor, which is policed by Russian peacekeepers, has been shut down.

Russia has offered to organize a three-way meeting with Armenia and Azerbaijan at the level of foreign ministers, followed by a Moscow summit to sign a peace treaty. Russia emphasized the need for “reliable and clear guarantees of the rights and security of the Armenians of Karabakh” and the implementation of earlier agreements between the three countries.

However, Baku responded angrily, insisting that security guarantees for Karabakh’s Armenian population should be provided at the national level rather than through an international mechanism. Azerbaijan criticized Russia for not ensuring the full implementation of the agreement and for not preventing Yerevan’s military supplies from reaching separatist forces in Karabakh.

In Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel, who mediated the talks between the Azeri and Armenian leaders, described their exchanges as “frank, honest, and substantive.” Michel emphasized the need for violence and harsh rhetoric to stop in order to create a proper environment for peace and normalization talks. He also expressed the EU’s encouragement for Azerbaijan to directly engage with the Karabakh Armenians to build confidence between the parties.

Michel announced his intention to organize a new meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan in Brussels, as well as another meeting in Spain in October involving German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The United States has also been pushing for a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Russia, traditionally a power broker in the region, has been distracted by the war in Ukraine and risks seeing its influence diminished. The EU and other international actors are working towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

How has the recent blocking of the land route between Karabakh and Armenia by Azerbaijan impacted the ongoing peace talks between the two countries

The EU is currently hosting talks between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Brussels, as they seek to resolve their long-standing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. However, Azerbaijan has accused Russia and Armenia of not fulfilling a ceasefire agreement in the region. The conflict, which has already led to two wars since the Soviet Union’s collapse, involves the dispute over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave within Azerbaijan but inhabited mainly by ethnic Armenians. In 2020, Azerbaijan gained control of areas that were previously held by ethnic Armenians during intense fighting and a ceasefire mediated by Russia. Talks for a peace agreement have been ongoing since then, but tensions have risen once again, with Azerbaijan recently blocking the only land route between Karabakh and Armenia, citing smuggling as the reason.