Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijan has regained control of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenian separatists agreed to a ceasefire, Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, told AFP. In the military operation, at least 200 people have lost their lives and more than 400 people have been injured, Nagorno-Karabakh’s ombudsman, Gegham Sepanyan, said on social media.
     Azerbaijan on Tuesday sent artillery-backed forces into the region, which has served as a de facto autonomy under Armenian control, to bring the region back under Azerbaijan. The battles in the region forced many to leave their homes in search of safety. “More than 10,000 people are currently evacuated from their indigenous communities, forced to find shelter in other settlements in Karabakh where relative security can be offered,” Sepnyan said.
     The surrender prompted thousands of protesters to gather in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, on Wednesday. The protesters dispute the Armenian government’s support for separatists in the region, Reuters reported. It was Russian peacekeepers who managed to implement the ceasefire. On Wednesday evening, they announced that the ceasefire had been respected and that no violations have been recorded. As part of the agreement, the separatists have agreed to disband their army, while Armenia will withdraw its forces from the region.
    In addition, the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan has demanded that all weapons be surrendered under the supervision of Russian peacekeepers. Today, talks will reportedly take place in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh, where separatists have agreed to discuss the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. /ritzau/AFP/