Karbajar, SAEDNEWS, Nov. 15: Armenia has begun handing over disputed territory to Azerbaijan as part of a peace accord that ended six weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Residents of the Kalbajar district, which has been controlled by ethnic Armenians for decades, began a mass exodus from the mountainous province in the days leading up to Sunday, the official withdrawal date.
Residents were seen piling their belongings into vehicles before leaving for Armenia. Some of the departing ethnic-Armenians said they had exhumed graves they feared would be desecrated by Azerbaijanis. Thick plumes of smoke rose over the valley near the village of Charektar after residents set their homes on fire – preferring to leave devastation in their wake and homes that would be uninhabitable. A Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh last week set up checkpoints and positions in the region’s administrative centre, Stepanakert, implementing the accord that sees Armenia cede the swaths of territory Azerbaijan’s forces gained in the fighting.
Moscow’s peacekeeping mission, which the military said included soldiers previously stationed in Syria, comprises some 2,000 troops for a renewable five-year mission. Azerbaijan and Armenia, ex-Soviet rivals, agreed to end hostilities last week after several efforts by Russia, France, and the United States to reach a ceasefire fell through during the nearly two months of clashes (Source: AlJazeera).
Armenian Hardliners Protest Against Russia-Brokered Nagorno-Karabakh Armistice
