The United Nations chief has expressed that he is “extremely concerned” over the eruption of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Following violence that escalated on September 27th, at least 23 people were killed over the dispute between the former Soviet Union states. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, is calling upon both countries to “immediately stop fighting” and de-escalate tensions. This unsettlement between the two countries has been triggered by fear of losing control of the valuable transit route for oil and gas to world markets in the South Caucasus Mountains region. In response to the unsettlement, Armenia recently mobilized its military to the territory, drastically increasing tensions and leading us to believe that things may get worse from here.
This hasn’t been the first time Armenia and Azerbaijan have struggled along the border they share. In the past, they have been at war over the territory until signing a truce in 1994. Although the war had ended at that point, both countries had blamed one another for ceasefire infringement along the borderline for many years. Since the separatist war, the South Caucasus Mountain region has been controlled and backed by the Armenian government but lies in the Azerbaijan region, which has been the main trigger for more minor frictions.
Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, has claimed to be open towards peaceful negotiations over the territory with Armenia for many years; however, Armenia’s president, Nikol Pashinyan, has not shown interest in doing so. In a statement released by Pashinyan, he says, “It is very hard to talk about negotiations … when specific military operations are underway.” Statements like these are not as progressive on Armenia’s part. Pashinyan also believes that Azerbaijan’s close ally, Turkey, is continually seeking to extend itself in this conflict although both Azerbaijan and Turkey deny this.
Many world superpowers have stepped up and also urged the two countries to resume non-violent negotiations over the territory immediately. These include U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the OSCE’s Minsk Group which consists of Russian, French, and U.S. co-chairs. It is imperative that we help these countries find a solution in a way that does not endanger, harm, or kill their citizens. Since Turkey remains a close ally to the country of Azerbaijan, the global community must convince Turkey to remain at a neutral stance in the struggle and do everything in its power to convince Azerbaijan and Armenia to do the same.
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