It is only four days since Armenians and Azerbaijanians have accused each other of attacks on the Armenian-inhabited separatist enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. Since 1994, when the armistice was declared, the area has been accompanied by a number of local skirmishes. The current fighting is described as the most serious since 2016, when dozens of soldiers died on both sides.
–
The fighting continues to this day. Both Baku and Yerevan report injuries and dozens of casualties, including civilians. Both sides deployed heavy artillery and proceeded to mobilize the reserves. Martin Dorazín, a long-time foreign correspondent of Czech Radio, who spoke on the spot, told the List of News about what it currently looks like in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
–
“It simply came to our notice then. No missiles are fired here, although some missiles have already landed in the border areas of Armenian territory. The war manifests itself more in that people organize voluntary food collections for the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh. In every part of the city, there is usually such a place somewhere near a store, where people go shopping and then hand in the food, “the rapporteur describes the solidarity of the Armenians with the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
–
It also recalls that Armenians not only control the area militarily, but also historically, religiously and ideologically consider it their. This is despite the fact that she was never officially recognized as independent. Historically, Armenians have lost a large part of their territory, gone through genocide and many hardships, and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is all the more important to them, ”explains Dorazín.
–
“The atmosphere is generally distressing, of course, because for Armenians it is a matter of the heart, it is a matter of national pride and patriotism. After all, Karabakh has always played an important role in Armenian politics in recent decades, and none of the politicians would dare say that he is not interested in Karabakh or that he has no good solution for him. On the contrary, all the politicians who ruled and ran in the elections, including the last Armenian Prime Minister, Nikola Pašinjan, say that this is a matter of strategic, national interest and patriotic values. They stress that they must not leave their compatriots in Azerbaijan without help, including military aid, “Dorazin explains the approach of Armenian politicians to the National Karabakh region. However, the affiliation with the Armenians living in the separatist enclave is also proved by the crowds of volunteers who set out for the front.
–
“There are groups of volunteers going to Karabakh. Some are already there. Many of my acquaintances and friends have already gone there either on their own, which the government does not recommend, or have reported to the military authorities in their place of residence. Some were sent home stating that their specialization was not exactly needed now. They mainly called in midfielders, ie people they have an overview of and who are now necessary, “he describes the involvement of the Armenians in the armed conflict. However, according to a foreign correspondent, its near end is not in sight.
–
“There are no international or diplomatic negotiations on the horizon. Moscow is trying to mediate, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zacharova said today that the ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Armenia did not meet directly in Moscow.
–
“Pashinjan also says that he is not seeking any intermediary role from Russia or another state, such as Georgia,” says Dorazin.
–
“According to Pašinjan, the negotiations so far have not led to the protection of the rights of the people of National Karabakh or to the preservation of the large buffer zone around Karabakh, as Armenia envisages, and therefore favors a military solution over a political one,” explains the rapporteur. he adds that the territory of Karabakh, together with the buffer zones, is not as small as it might seem at first glance. As a result, the territorial profit would not be negligible for any of the countries.
–
“On the Azerbaijani side, there is a great determination, as they say, ‘to liberate the whole territory of Azerbaijan.’ It is an authoritarian-dictatorial state, so it has great opportunities to quickly organize military actions or provide support to the population. But he doesn’t have to force her that much. There is basically a great consensus. For Azerbaijanis, it is also a patriotic affair and a matter of national honor, “explains Dorazín on the other side.
–
“But for Armenia, the integration of Karabakh into Azerbaijan is unthinkable. So it can be seen that the room for compromise that has not been reached for several decades is practically zero and it cannot be expected that anything will change in the next few days, “the rapporteur concludes.
—
