Nagorno-Karabakh rebels negotiate withdrawal and surrender weapons

2023-09-23 08:14:00

This Friday, they announced that they were negotiating with Azerbaijan to withdraw their troops from this enclave after the lightning victory of Baku’s forces on Tuesday.

By IM with AFP Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh said negotiations were underway with Azerbaijan for the withdrawal of troops. © KAREN MINASYAN / AFP Published on 09/22/2023 at 4:00 p.m. – Modified on 09/23/2023 at 8:14 a.m.

Audio playback reserved for subscribers

The separatists of Nagorno Karabakh announced on Friday that they were negotiating with Azerbaijan the withdrawal of their troops from this region mainly populated by Armenians, facing a humanitarian emergency two days after the conclusion of a ceasefire with Baku. “Negotiations are underway with the Azerbaijani side under the auspices of Russian peacekeepers,” said the authorities of this secessionist territory, which capitulated on Wednesday after a lightning offensive by Azerbaijani forces.

This should make it possible to “organize the process of troop withdrawal and ensure the return to their homes of citizens displaced by military aggression,” they continued in a press release. The parties are also discussing “the procedure for entry and exit of citizens” from this region, the separatists added.

6 armored vehicles and 800 weapons deposited

The separatists have returned 6 armored vehicles and more than 800 small arms and ammunition, the Russian peace contingent announced Friday. “In accordance with the agreements on the cessation of hostilities, the armed formations of Karabakh began to hand over their weapons and military equipment under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. As of September 22, 6 armored vehicles, more than 800 small and anti-tank weapons and approximately 5,000 munitions have been handed over,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Germany called on Friday for the necessary respect for the rights of the inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh. “The rights and security of the people of Karabakh must be guaranteed to achieve a lasting solution to the conflict,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement following a telephone interview. between the German leader and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Moscow also reported two violations during the day of the ceasefire established on Wednesday, fewer than the day before. The separatists began talks with Azerbaijani officials on Thursday on a “reintegration” of Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan. Baku then announced that a new meeting would take place “as quickly as possible”. READ ALSO Nagorno-Karabakh: the keys to understanding the conflict

This mountainous territory has already been the scene of two wars between the former Soviet republics of the Caucasus, Azerbaijan and Armenia: one from 1988 to 1994 (30,000 dead) and the other in the fall of 2020 ( 6,500 dead)