Continuous Violation Of Ceasefire

The ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been violated almost a 100 times in the past 24 hours. Since 1994, tensions between the countries got to a point where the ceasefire was violated back in 2008, and has not settled down, with deadly skirmishes erupting in 2010, 2014 and 2016.

Armenian armed forces are continuously violating the ceasefire, with the maximum violations reaching 103 in only 24 hours in the past month on 17 July, 16 July 96 times, 18 July 98 times, 19 July 90 times, 20 July 86 times and 22 July 93 times, as reported by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. On 21 July an Azerbaijani soldier, Samad Alyshov, was killed as a result of these violations.

This Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in May 1994 by both countries, however regular peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group have failed to result in a peace treaty.

The ceasefire was a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh War, which was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place in 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in south-western Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Full-scale fighting only erupted in early 1992.

This situation has left the Nagorno-Karabakh area in a limbo state, with the Republic of Artsakh remaining de facto independent but internationally unrecognized, while Armenian forces currently control approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave.

By Shawn Wayne