From tomorrow, the 21st of September 2023, the entirety of Nagorno-Karabakh will be governed under Azerbaijan's authority for the first time since 1991
In hindsight, Azerbaijan was able to bring #Artsakh into submission by reasonably limited military means in 2023, compared to the full-scale war of 2020. Truth be told, disarmament is best for both sides, and Nagorno-Karabakh returning to Azeri control has always only been a matter of time.
Although we would have prefered to see a diplomatic resolution to this conflict, the reality is that Artsakh would have never willingly given up its territory, except under the threat of military force.
From our perspective, the Azerbaijani armed forces showed a reasonable degree of restraint in their use of violence in yesterday's operation.
Our position has always been that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to the Republic of Azerbaijan. However it should be noted that Armenians have a right to live in these lands, and their protection must be the primary issue on the agenda now. We hope that Russia and Azerbaijan will work together to ensure the safety of the civilian Armenian population.
Now that Nagorno-Karabakh has returned to Azerbaijani authority, this should be the end of Baku's military campaigns. They now own all the land that legally belongs to them, as recognized by international law.
If #Azerbaijan intends to be adventurous, and threatens military action against Armenia proper under the pretext of opening up the #Zangezur corridor, the whole world will see that #Baku cannot be trusted.
In this case, Iran and #Russia will certainly intervene, but we hope this scenario does not become a reality, as it will be devastating for the region.