EDITORIAL: After two weeks of heavy fighting Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus region, have agreed to a Russian-brokered peace pact. They have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Azeri control in 1991 following the disintegration of the then Soviet Union. The two countries have since been battling over the region. It is unclear who started the latest round of fighting that left a large number of people, including civilians, dead. Yet the ceasefire agreement under which Armenia is to cede swathes of territory to Azerbaijan has sparked angry demonstrations in that country with protesters storming government buildings and demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation. But as Pashinyan explained in a series of video statements, he had no other choice after military reported that the war urgently needed to be stopped, and also that the separatist leader of Nagorno-Karabakh told him that "we could lose Stepanakert in a matter of hours."
That Azerbaijan was in a winning position was never in doubt considering its military and economic superiority over Armenia. It also had on side an influential player, Turkey, with which it shares ethnic and cultural ties. Soon after the fighting broke out Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that his country stands with "friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan with all our means and all our heart." He may have other considerations than brotherly feelings in offering his support. The situation worried Russian President Vladimir Putin more than anyone else. He surely does not like to see trouble in his country's backyard. He has been working overtime along with Turkey to bring the fighting to an end. However, a ceasefire resulting from a humiliating defeat of one side cannot be expected to last for long. As recurring outbreak of hostilities has shown, truce is not the answer to this long festering conflict. In fact last year Azerbaijan and Armenia had issued a joint statement underscoring the need for "taking concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace." Yet instead of ratcheting down tensions the two sides have been embroiled in a bloody war. The root cause of the problem needs to be resolved. As things stand, the international community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan. There is a clutch of UN Security Council resolutions, too, that call for withdrawal of Armenian forces from the 'occupied' region. Prolongation of the conflict is in no one's interests. It can only inflame passions, creating further complications to the detriment of all concerned.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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