India calls for peaceful resolution of border dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan

India on Wednesday, May 19, expressed concern over the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as the country called for peaceful resolution of the disputes between the two countries. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi said that peace in the South Caucasus region is important for regional security.

He said, “We have been following, with concern, the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Border incursions through military movements can destabilise the situation and lead to renewed hostilities. We call upon the transgressing side to pull back forces immediately and cease any further provocation”. 

“India has always stood for peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes through political and diplomatic means. Peace and stability in the South Caucasus region is important from the regional security perspective”, Bagchi added. The spokesperson was responding to media queries on recent developments along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. 

History of the conflict 

What began almost a century ago as a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, has over the years resulted in severe human rights violations, failed diplomatic talks, refugee crisis, deaths and destruction. Tensions over the contended South Caucasus piece of land mounted up again in October 2020, with Armenia and Azerbaijan blaming each other over who instigated the most recent conflict. The conflict-hit the region last year bringing the issue back into the limelight.

While internationally, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognised as a de jure part of Azerbaijan, Armenians claim that the region was a part of their kingdom from the fourth century BCE. Joseph Stalin decided to make the Nagorno-Karabakh region an autonomous oblast of Azerbaijan. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region flared up soon after the breakdown of the Soviet Union in late 1980s. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have claimed the strategic territory, with occasional flare-ups and fighting.

Holding a referendum at that time, the Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh region decided to stay independent instead of joining either territory. What began as a relatively peaceful demand to unify with Armenia, soon turned into an increasingly violent conflict between ethnic Armenians and ethnic Azerbaijans. The fighting that lasted up until approximately 1994, hit a low point when both the former Soviet Union nations accused each other of ethnic cleansing. 

The situation worsened after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in Azerbaijan decided to unify with Armenia (given its massive Armenian population) in early 1988. Full-scale fighting in 1992 compelled international bodies to take notice and mediate a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan. After several failed diplomatic talks, a Russian-brokered ceasefire was agreed upon in 1994, essentially leading to a diplomatic mediation.

(Image Credits: AP)