Azerbaijan Claims Armenian Forces Must Withdraw from Entire Territory of Artsakh

Russian peacekeepers have resolved the incident that occurred in the villages of Khizaberd and Hin Tagher in favor of Baku. On the new map, this area is marked as Azerbaijani territory, and a video has surfaced on Telegram channels showing Armenian soldiers surrendering their weapons. The conflicting parties interpret the November 10 statement by the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan differently: Baku believes Armenian forces must leave all of Nagorno-Karabakh, while Yerevan argues it pertains only to the surrounding regions, reports Kommersant.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has again updated the peacekeeping mission map in Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively returning it to its former state. While the December 13 map included the villages of Khizaberd and Hin Tagher and the road leading to them under the control of peacekeepers, the December 14 amended version lists them as territories under Azerbaijani control. Furthermore, a line has appeared in the section labeled 'conditional markers' that highlights the peacekeeping mission zone, designated as the 'area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.' This innovation could imply that peacekeepers do not have the right to extend their influence beyond this line.

Recall that on December 11-12, combat operations resumed between Azerbaijani forces and Armenian units near two villages not far from Hadrut. The escalation has led to the first serious criticism directed at Russian peacekeepers, notably from both sides. Initially, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed open dissatisfaction, suggesting that peacekeepers should have long been deployed in the escalation zone. 'Why were the peacekeepers not stationed there at the moment of the attack? This is a separate subject for discussion and analysis,' stated the Armenian Prime Minister.

When peacekeeping troops finally appeared in the area between the two villages, critical comments also came from Baku. 'The new map presented by the Russian peacekeepers is completely incomprehensible,' wrote Adil Aliyev, Deputy Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, on his Facebook page regarding the version indicating Khizaberd and Hin Tagher were under Russian military control. 'The activities of peacekeepers are enshrined in international law, and they must not in any case exceed the obligations and responsibilities assigned to them. The map they prepared has no legal or political basis.'

'Yes, there has been discontent regarding the peacekeepers' actions,' said Azerbaijani political scientist Farhad Mammadov in an interview with Kommersant. 'The public in Azerbaijan has drawn attention to the fourth clause of the November 10 agreement. It states that the “peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is introduced in parallel with the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces.”'

In Yerevan and Stepanakert, the text of the agreement is interpreted differently. Armenian officials have declined to comment on the matter but have suggested in conversations under anonymity that in their view, the fourth clause of the agreement pertains only to the territories of Kelbajar, Agdam, and Lachin, which were handed over to Azerbaijan by December 1. Regarding the rest of the territory of Karabakh, which was part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast during Soviet times, they believe another point of the agreement – the first point – should be implemented. It states that 'from midnight on November 10, after a complete ceasefire, Armenia and Azerbaijan remain in their occupied positions.' Therefore, the positions near Hadrut should also remain under the control of Armenian forces and militias.

For her part, the spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Leyla Abdullayeva, assured Kommersant that such an interpretation is incorrect, and Armenian forces must withdraw from the entirety of Karabakh. Moreover, the final decision by Russian peacekeepers to leave the villages of Khizaberd and Hin Tagher could be perceived negatively in Yerevan, the source added.