Azerbaijani Army enters Kalbajar, region returned by Armenia
The Azerbaijani Army entered the Kalbajar region, one more territory ceded by Armenian forces in a peace agreement that ended deadly fighting over the territory of Nagorno-karabakh, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
The deal, brokered by Russia two weeks ago, stipulated that Armenia hand over control to Azerbaijan of some areas its holds, aljazeera.com wrote.
The first one, Agdam, was turned over last week.
Kalbajar was expected to be handed over on November 15, but Azerbaijan agreed to delay the takeover after a request from Armenia.
Azerbaijani officials said worsening weather conditions made the withdrawal of Armenian forces and civilians difficult along the single road through mountainous territory that connects the region with Armenia.
Footage on Wednesday showed Azerbaijani troops slowly moving through snowy terrain, looking for mines.
“Engineering work has been completed to ensure the movement of our units in this direction, the difficult mountain roads along the route of the troops’ movement are being cleared of mines and prepared for use,” the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.
Nagorno-karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there halted with a ceasefire in 1994. That war left not only Nagorno-karabakh itself but substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.
Heavy fighting over NagornoKarabakh broke out on September 27 and marked the biggest escalation of the decades-old conflict between the two ex-soviet nations in more than a quarter century, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of people.
The latest truce halted the violence after several failed attempts to establish a lasting truce.