Azeris, Armenians Aren’t Appeased, Agree to Armistice

After nearly two months of incessant fighting, multiple failed truces and approximately 5,000 dead, the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia on Tuesday agreed to a Russian-backed cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh, which will include the deployment of nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops to the disputed area. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan admitted that his was not the upper hand in the talks, noting that Azeri troops had captured several strategic towns and roads and were on the outskirts of the region’s capital, Stepanakert. Residents of Armenia’s capital Yerevan refused to accept what they deemed a capitulation agreement, as thousands stormed the government headquarters in protest. The war-torn region of Nagorno-Karabakh, containing a large Armenian majority, declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1992 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and after years of bloody struggles between the Armenian secessionists and Azeri authorities. It has since existed as a de facto autonomous region, falling victim to continuous violent skirmishes every few years.