Azerbaijan confirmed today the suspension of the military operation it had launched against the separatist territory of Nagorno Karabakh after accepting the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic populated by Armenians surrender and completely disarm their armed groups. “Taking into account the appeal of the representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh, which was received through the Russian peacekeeping contingent, an agreement was reached to suspend anti-terrorist measures on September 20, 2023 at 13:00 ( 09.00 GMT),” said the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense.

Baku noted that under the agreement reached, “Armenian armed formations located in the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan and illegal Armenian armed formations will lay down their arms, abandon combat positions and military posts and completely disarm.” “. Furthermore, the “units of the Armenian Armed Forces will leave the territory of Azerbaijan and the illegal Armenian armed formations (of Karabakh) will be disbanded.”

At the same time, Azerbaijan stressed, they will hand over all weapons and heavy equipment. The Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Nagorno Karabakh since the ceasefire reached in the last war for control of this enclave in autumn 2020, will ensure the implementation of the withdrawalthe disarmament and dissolution of the Karabakh units.

Azerbaijan noted that at the meeting to be held on Thursday “at the proposal of the Azerbaijani Presidency” with representatives of the Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh in the town of Yevlaj, the “reintegration” of the population under the Constitution will be addressed and the laws of the Azerbaijani Republic. Yevlaj is about 100 kilometers from the Karabakh capital, Jankendi (Stepanakert for Armenians).

The cessation of hostilities occurs 24 hours after the Azerbaijani Army will begin to bomb Nagorno Karabakh in order to restore “constitutional order” in the separatist territory, populated by some 120,000 Armenians. The enclave had little chance of resisting the new onslaught from Azerbaijan, which began the offensive three years after the last war for control of the enclave and after subjecting it to a blockade for more than nine months.

In December 2022, it cut the Lachin corridor, the only communication route between Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia lost two-thirds of its territory in the 44-day war in 2020 in the Karabakh region that it controlled after the 1992-1994 war, including a part of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, but not the capital, Stepanakert. According to Armenia, in Azerbaijan’s most recent military operation, at least 32 people have died in 24 hours, including seven civilians, while Baku has only reported civilian, non-military casualties, two in total.