Armenian PM Says Signed Statement With Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia on Cessation of Hostilities

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According to Pashinyan, the text of the joint statement is extremely painful for himself and the Armenian people, but the decision had to be made.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he has signed a statement with the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan on ending the Karabakh war.

Later, the Kremlin spokesman confirmed that the Russian and Azerbaijan Presidents and Armenia Prime Minister adopted a joint statement on the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh.

"Together with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, I have signed a statement on the termination of the Karabakh war from 01.00. The text of the statement that has already been published is unbelievably painful for me and [the Armenian] people", Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

According to the Armenian premier, he made the decision as a result of a "deep analysis of the military situation" in the region. He added he will address the nation soon.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday that his country would stop combat activities in Nagorno-Karabakh if Pashinyan guarantees that the Armenian troops will be withdrawn from the regions of Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier Moscow does not support force as a means of resolving the crisis and called on the parties to an early cessation of hostilities.

Prior to that, the Azerbaijani side said it had seized control of the city of Shusha, the second largest town in Nagorno-Karabakh, as its forces were closing in on the capital of the self-proclaimed republic.

green_flash on November 9th, 2020 at 23:40 UTC »

Protesters in Yerevan have broken into the government building in response:

https://twitter.com/AlexKokcharov/status/1325943403469828099

Live stream from the building: https://news.am/arm/videos/40058.html

Pashinyan will no doubt have to resign, maybe even leave the country.

Update 1: According to this article, the protesters in Yerevan have dragged Ararat Mirzoyan - the President of the National Assembly - out of his car and beaten him up severely. Video (loud, distressing) here: https://twitter.com/raveenaujmaya/status/1325961608703713280

Update 2: The protesters have now entered parliament hall and demand that the military under General Onik Gasparyan should take over power and continue the war with Azerbaijan.

Update 3: A mob of 40 men has entered the office of Radio Free Europe in Yerevan and beaten up a journalist and a cameraman working there according to this tweet

Update 4: The injured President of the National Assembly (see Update 1) has been brought to a hospital and is undergoing surgery. He is NOT in a life-threatening condition at this moment according to Pashinyan.

green_flash on November 9th, 2020 at 23:14 UTC »

This is a translation of the agreement:

Statement President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation

We, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan I. G. Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikolai Pashinyan and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin announced the following:

A complete ceasefire and all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are announced from 00:00 hours Moscow time on November 10, 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, stop at their positions.

The Aghdam region and the territories held by the Armenian Party in the Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be returned to the Azerbaijan Party until November 20, 2020.

Along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed in the amount of 1,960 servicemen with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 units of automobile and special equipment.

The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is being deployed in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces. The duration of the stay of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is 5 years, with automatic extension for the next 5-year periods, if none of the Parties declares 6 months before the expiration of the period of intention to terminate the application of this provision.

In order to increase the effectiveness of control over the implementation of the agreements by the Parties to the conflict, a peacekeeping center is being deployed to control the ceasefire.

The Republic of Armenia will return the Kelbajar region to the Republic of Azerbaijan by November 15, 2020, and the Lachin region by December 1, 2020, leaving behind the Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will ensure the connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and at the same time not will affect the city of Shusha. By agreement of the Parties, in the next three years, a plan for the construction of a new traffic route along the Lachin corridor, providing communication between Stepanakert and Armenia, with the subsequent redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route will be determined. The Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees traffic safety along the Lachin corridor of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.

Internally displaced persons and refugees are returning to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the control of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

There is an exchange of prisoners of war and other detained persons and bodies of the dead.

All economic and transport links in the region are unblocked. The Republic of Armenia provides transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic in order to organize the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions. Control over transport communication is carried out by the bodies of the Border Guard Service of the FSB of Russia. By agreement of the Parties, the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan will be provided.

November 2020

The president, The Republic of Azerbaijan

Prime Minister, Republic of Armenia

The president, Russian Federation

3rdOrderEffects on November 9th, 2020 at 22:43 UTC »

Incredible development. Significance of this cannot be understated.

This is not some small ceasefire. This is seismic.

It's an agreement between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan that involves significant concession of territory and Russian peacekeepers in the region.