Editor’s note: This story was originally published on September 15, as tensions around Nagorno-Karabakh were growing. It has been republished due to the resumed hostilities between Baku and its breakaway region.
The situation in the South Caucasus is once again becoming tense, as the long-term conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh is on the verge of escalating into another hot war.
Almost every day the two sides open fire at each other and exchange accusations. Last weekend, Baku reported that Armenia had fired at its army, while just several hours later, Yerevan said that its own forces had been attacked. The events are unfolding against the background of Armenia’s joint military exercises with the United States, which will continue until September 20 – a fact that, in turn, has perplexed Russia.
The EU has also intervened in the situation and is actively holding talks with both Yerevan and Baku.
For its part, Moscow believes that Brussels is responsible for escalating the conflict in the region.
Azerbaijan has ‘unleashed large-scale aggression’ – Armenia
The Armenian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Azerbaijan of unleashing “another large-scale aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” after Baku announced local “counter-terrorism measures” in the disputed region.
Armenia condemned its rival for both the most recent developments and the “mass crimes” it claims Azerbaijan committed during hostilities three years ago. The foreign ministry's statement noted that the escalation in the region in 2020 also took place in September.
Azerbaijan has pursued “ethnic cleansing” of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ministry statement alleged, claiming Baku feels “impunity” given its open acknowledgement of its actions.
Earlier in the day, Azerbaijan' Defense Ministry announced it had launched an operation against what it claimed to be Armenian military assets deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. Yerevan denies the presence of the units in the contested region. Baku has pledged to only attack military targets and claimed that it was seeking to “thwart large-scale provocations” by the Armenian side.
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