Clashes that left more than 170 dead in two days revive the historic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and threaten the fragile peace process sponsored by the European Union
The spasmodic Caucasus, the historical scene of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan because of the special borders defined in the Soviet era, experienced a surprise day of peace this Thursday. The guns went silent when no one expected it. Both sides respected the ceasefire reached on Wednesday after two days of clashes that killed more than 170 and threatened to undermine the fragile EU-backed peace process.
The involvement of the international community has worked a miracle, according to the Armenian National Security Council, but no one thinks it will last that long. Earlier, Russia, a traditional mediator in the region, also announced a ceasefire that had been broken. Both countries accused each other of bombing.
This new episode of a historic struggle, exacerbated in the late 1990s in the context of the disintegration of the USSR, has claimed numerous casualties in the two belligerent armies, in addition to the exodus of hundreds of Armenian civilians living in the border areas. of this important strategic area in Southeastern Europe that suffers from deep political, cultural and ethnic divisions, with Nagorno-Karabakh at the heart of the deep-rooted conflict. The area is inhabited by a majority of the Armenian population, but it is integrated into Azerbaijan by international borders.
The fighting that started on Monday is the worst since 2020, when more than 6,500 deaths were recorded and Armenia was forced to cede territory. It was the tip of an iceberg that hides at the root political-territorial discrepancies that also dot the religions and that since the 1950s has claimed tens of thousands of victims as a result of the policies that Josef Stalin has always pursued in the region. a supporter of the strategy of divide and rule to avoid any form of homogeneity in all Soviet republics.
The dictator never did anything to try and resolve the conflicts in this important mountainous region, the scene of centuries of struggle for control plots. He was always in favor of creating small republics within each republic. This is also the case in Chechnya, Georgia or even Ukraine, in the Donbas region.
For the government of Yerevan, the area of Nagorno Karabag (Upper Karabag) is part of its unrealistic idea of bringing together the areas traditionally populated by the Armenian Christian Orthodox ethnic group. However, the approximately 150,000 inhabitants of this religion who have inhabited the area since 1923 are under the control of the Azerbaijani authorities, Muslims, although they enjoyed a slight autonomy, a kind of “ghost state” that has been perpetuated by an endless conflict of the ethno-nationalist type that was fed back during the breakup of the former Cold War communist bloc.
The conflict, which is far from over, is still very much alive at a time that is already very difficult for the region due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, the current geopolitics makes a solution difficult, as both Armenia and Azerbaijan seem to fall under the expansion program designed by Vladimir Putin. Many see the next battlefield there.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
