Turkish President Erdogan hails end of Armenia’s ‘28-year rule’ over Nagorno-Karabakh

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, November 10 said that Armenia’s 28-year rule over Nagorno Karabakh is ending, following a ceasefire agreement over in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Erdogan made the remarks during his speech at the Turkish parliament as Russian peacekeepers were sent to the enclave after the end of a six-week war between Armenian and Azeri forces on Tuesday.

Intense fighting broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed region in late September with Turkey providing military assistance to Azerbaijan. On Tuesday, the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that he has signed a 'painful' agreement with the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The Azeri troops during the intervening weeks reclaimed swathes of the region, including the prized city of Shusha, which they had lost to Armenia in a war almost three decades ago. As the hostilities between the two countries remain ceased, Turkey and Russia will jointly monitor the ceasefire in the territory, as per reports.

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People in Armenia demands the resignation of their PM Pashinyan

Meanwhile, thousands of people in Armenia on Wednesday demanded the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan. Some of the protestors, including a leading opposition figure, were also arrested. This comes the day after some Armenian protesters attacked the county’s parliament to protest against the ceasefire deal. 

Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 in a popular uprising, earlier this week took to Facebook and said the decision to sign the agreement was hard and painful but was based on military considerations and expert advice. The Armenian leader also admitted that the result of the conflict was a huge failure and disaster for the country. So far the exact death count is not known; however, Russia has estimated that almost 5,000 people have died as a result of fighting over Nagorno Karabakh which includes nearly 150 civilians on both sides. 

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What happens to Nagorno Karabakh after the ceasefire deal?

Nagorno Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan was fully controlled by ethnic Armenians before the recent fighting. After the ceasefire deal, Azerbaijan will keep the territory it gained, and Armenia will have to surrender the control of some other areas by December 1. Furthermore, Russia’s defence ministry said that almost 2,000 servicemen will be deployed to Nagorno Karabakh for peacekeeping operations.

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(With agency inputs) (Image-AP)