Azerbaijan threatened a new war with its neighbor Armenia on Tuesday by sending troops and artillery into Nagorno-Karabakh, which is currently under Armenian control. Azerbaijan announced on Wednesday that its military operation involving artillery strikes was proceeding successfully.
Karabakh, located in the geographically elevated South Caucasus region, is recognized by the international community as falling under Azerbaijan’s sovereignty. Nonetheless, a portion of the region is governed by Armenian separatist authorities who claim historical and ancestral ties to the land.
Azerbaijan’s defense ministry issued a statement on the Telegram messaging platform, stating that military operations continue to be successful with the destruction of weapons and military equipment.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan separately to urge a cessation of military activity and a reduction in tensions.
The U.S. Department of State reported that Aliyev “expressed readiness” to end hostilities and come together with Nagorno-Karabakh representatives during the phone call.
Blinken informed Pashinyan over the phone that the U.S. fully supports Armenia.
According to Russian media outlets, the Azerbaijani presidential administration confirmed to Blinken that Aliyev had stated that his country would cease military operations only if Armenian forces capitulated.
After the European Union, France, and Germany condemned Azerbaijan’s military action, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The collapse of the Soviet Union coincided with the outbreak of a war in which Armenia gained control of vast swaths of territory. In 2020, a truce brokered by Russia ended a six-week conflict in which Azerbaijan recaptured most of the territory.
On Wednesday morning, Moscow issued a call for an end to the bloodshed and hostilities and to go back to the implementation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement.
Even if Azerbaijan’s actions did not lead to a wider conflict that dragged in Armenia, the fighting in Karabakh could shift the geopolitical balance in the South Caucasus.
