YEREVAN: Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh have announced their decision to dissolve their government by the end of the year and fully reintegrate with Azerbaijan following a rapid offensive by Azerbaijani forces.
This significant announcement came shortly after it became evident that over half of the population in the rebel-held region had fled due to the advancing Azerbaijani troops. It marks the conclusion of one of the world’s longest-standing and seemingly unsolvable “frozen conflicts,” which multiple US administrations and European leaders had struggled to resolve in numerous rounds of negotiations.
Nagorno-Karabakh Truce Follows Baku’s 24-Hour Offensive
A 24-hour offensive by Baku culminated in a truce on September 20, during which the separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh committed to disarm and engage in “reintegration” talks. Two rounds of negotiations occurred as Azerbaijani forces, in collaboration with Russian peacekeepers, collected separatist weapons and took control of towns that had eluded Baku’s authority since the 1990s conflict.
Azerbaijani troops have now advanced to the outskirts of Stepanakert, a largely vacated rebel stronghold where separatist leader Samvel Shakhramanyan issued the decree.
The decree stated, “All state institutions and organizations under their respective departments should be dissolved by January 1, 2024, and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist.”
