Through the Second Karabakh Struggle, Azerbaijan exercised its inherent proper to self-defense as stipulated in Article 51 of the U.N. Constitution, resulting in the liberation of territories that had been beneath occupation for 3 a long time.
The battle was delivered to a halt on Nov. 10, 2020, with the signing of a declaration, whereby each events dedicated to resolving remaining points by way of diplomatic means. The first goal of those diplomatic negotiations was to make sure the complete implementation of the situations outlined within the Nov. 10 tripartite declaration and in the end safe a complete peace settlement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. These ongoing talks held the promise of coming into an period of peace and cooperation within the South Caucasus, marking a major turning level after years of battle.
Nevertheless, issues arose because the Armenian aspect failed to meet lots of the agreed-upon commitments, together with the fourth article of the Nov. 10 tripartite declaration, which known as for the removing of armed Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territory in Karabakh. This deviation from the agreed-upon phrases elevated the chance of renewed battle within the area. As well as, unlawful armed teams within the Karabakh area of Azerbaijan initiated assaults on Azerbaijani armed forces.
Consequently, Baku was compelled to launch an anti-terrorist operation on Sept. 19 geared toward disarming these unlawful armed models. Final week’s navy operation, which lasted for 23 hours and 47 minutes, culminated within the surrendering of the unlawful armed forces and the dismantling of the self-proclaimed administration in Karabakh. You will need to be aware that the Azerbaijani aspect had legitimate authorized, political, and navy justifications for initiating this operation.
Authorized causes
Whereas Armenians and their supporters body the difficulty of the occupation of Azerbaijani lands as a political and propaganda device, it’s basically rooted in worldwide regulation. The Azerbaijani place’s energy lies in its alignment with worldwide authorized rules. On this context, Azerbaijan’s determination to launch an anti-terrorist operation was firmly grounded in three key authorized foundations: First, 1993 resolutions adopted by the U.N. Safety Council; second, the tripartite declaration; and third, worldwide recognition of the area as Azerbaijani territory.
The U.N. Safety Council resolutions adopted in 1993 burdened on the speedy and unconditional withdrawal of armed Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, together with Karabakh. Through the 44-day Second Karabakh Struggle, the Azerbaijani military efficiently liberated some parts of those territories. The fourth article of the tripartite declaration stipulated that the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent can be deployed together with withdrawing Armenian armed forces from the remaining occupied areas. Nevertheless, though three years have handed for the reason that tripartite declaration, Armenian armed forces had not left the area nor been eliminated by Russian peacekeeping troops or Armenia. This meant that the situations of the U.N. Safety Council resolutions adopted in 1993 and the Nov. 10 tripartite declaration weren’t fulfilled.
However, Karabakh has all the time been internationally acknowledged as Azerbaijani territory. An necessary milestone within the course of occurred throughout an settlement reached in Prague on Oct. 6, 2022, the place each events dedicated to recognizing the rules of territorial integrity by the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991. By signing this declaration, Azerbaijan and Armenia reaffirmed their recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory.
Subsequently, throughout ongoing peace negotiations, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly acknowledged the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, together with Karabakh. This assertion was seen as a major step. Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that every one issues associated to Karabakh have been resolved with Pashinyan’s recognition, thereby implying that the anti-terrorist operation was nicely inside Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction.
Moreover, Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, had made it clear previous to the operation that Azerbaijan wouldn’t tolerate any grey areas or unlawful armed forces on its sovereign territory. This stance was reiterated by International Minister Ceyhun Bayramov throughout a U.N. Safety Council assembly on Sept. 21, the place he emphasised that no state may tolerate the presence of unlawful armed forces on its territory.
Including to the legitimacy of Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operation, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken personally engaged with President Ilham Aliyev, searching for to know Azerbaijan’s situations for halting the operation. This interplay indicated that the operation was being thought of legit from the attitude of the US. In abstract, the worldwide group’s recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, mixed with the statements and actions of key political figures and leaders, underscores the legitimacy of Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh within the context of worldwide regulation.
Political causes
This operation launched towards terrorism in Karabakh had three political causes. To start with, Armenia’s demand for a world mechanism. Though Armenia had verbally acknowledged Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, it sought the institution of a world mechanism to guard the rights and safety of Karabakh Armenians. This implied a need to switch Azerbaijani sovereignty within the area to a world entity. Basically, Armenia aimed to resurrect a mechanism just like the previous Minsk Group to bolster these calls for. To exert strain on Azerbaijan and bolster its place, Armenia maintained the presence of roughly 10,000 unlawful armed forces within the space.
Moreover, Armenia tried to bolster these unlawful armed teams by sending weapons and personnel by way of routes exterior of Azerbaijan’s management, significantly through the interval when the Lachin street was not beneath Azerbaijani authority. The involvement of Armenian residents as armed forces in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh area was proved by video proof supplied by Azerbaijani border troops.
Moreover, the state of affairs in Karabakh was additional sophisticated by the presence of unlawful armed teams who had successfully held the civilian inhabitants hostage. These armed teams supplied political help to separatist parts within the area, who have been in direct contravention of worldwide agreements by demanding a particular standing for Karabakh and refusing to acknowledge Azerbaijani sovereignty. The separatists in Karabakh vehemently opposed direct talks between Azerbaijani-Karabakh Armenians, which had begun following the choice made in Prague in 2022 and acquired help on different worldwide platforms. As a substitute, they insisted on the involvement of mediators.
The primary assembly between Azerbaijani and Karabakh Armenian representatives occurred in Khojaly on March 1, with the mediation of Russian peace troops. Subsequently, the Azerbaijani aspect proposed that these conferences proceed with out a mediator and be held in Baku for a extra direct dialogue. Nevertheless, the Karabakh separatists declined this proposal. It’s noteworthy that an settlement had been reached on the stage of international ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow for a direct assembly to be held in Yevlakh, a metropolis in Azerbaijan. Sadly, the separatist forces in Karabakh declined on the final second. In essence, each Armenia and the separatist parts in Karabakh have been persistently disregarding agreed-upon selections and utilizing unlawful armed forces as a protecting protect.
On Sept. 9, 2023, separatists in Khankendi held a brand new so-called presidential election within the area to “renew their legitimacy.” After the 2020 struggle, the separatists’ attitudes utterly failed and so they thought that they might get totally different outcomes with new faces in these new so-called elections. Nevertheless, these elections backfired and worldwide organizations and states condemned these elections and declared that they acknowledged the area as Azerbaijani territory. However, President Aliyev acknowledged that the unlawful elections held in Karabakh have been towards the verbal settlement reached between the events.
As a matter of truth, the primary demand of the newly elected so-called president was particular standing for separatists. Subsequently, the presence of armed forces within the area elevated the so-called administration’s need to make use of the established order within the area to its benefit.
Army causes
However, though Armenia was defeated within the 44-day struggle, it was planning for a brand new struggle with Azerbaijan. Whereas the Nikol Pashinyan administration was taking part in for time to stop any ends in the continuing peace talks with Azerbaijan, Armenia was making ready for a good geopolitical setting. In parallel with this, consultants and politicians near the federal government or the opposition in Armenia, it was argued that Armenia, like Azerbaijan, may wait 20 or 30 years and ultimately take again Karabakh. Subsequently, Armenia was planning to play for time, strengthen itself militarily and economically, after which launch a brand new assault. As a matter of truth, its efforts in the direction of armament elevated not too long ago and it has been intensifying its actions to extend the human potential to struggle.
Unlawful Armenian armed forces in Karabakh have been always threatening Azerbaijan militarily. They laid mines on newly constructed roads within the areas liberated from occupation, and interfered with the digital methods of planes flying over Azerbaijan and wounded two Azerbaijani troopers in Aghdam the day earlier than the operation started. On the identical day, on account of their sabotage actions, seven Azerbaijani law enforcement officials have been martyred on account of the mines laid on the Fuzuli-Shusha street. The primary objective right here is to threaten the reconstruction works within the areas of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation, to stop the civilian inhabitants from returning to their very own lands, and to achieve deterrent energy. Subsequently, these have been the components that made the navy anti-terrorist operation mandatory.
The anti-terrorist operation that was launched primarily geared toward navy targets, and areas with civilians weren’t focused. Strategic heights have been captured in a brief span of time and provide routes of the unlawful armed teams have been lower off. This prompted them to give up inside sooner or later. The institution of Azerbaijani sovereignty in Karabakh and the start of the combination technique of Karabakh Armenians into Azerbaijan led to the elimination of one of the necessary obstacles to lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
