Armenia and Azerbaijan Clash

 

            The dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the rights to the 4,400-square-kilometer Nagorno-Karabakh started in 1988. The two newly independent countries clashed in a military confrontation following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Armenian Christians compose much of the 1.5 million inhabitants of the Soviet-era territory of Azerbaijan. Armenia has directly or indirectly occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and many neighbouring areas since the 1994 border clashes. The Azerbaijan military failed to capture the town in 2016.

                In early September, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called for the region to be liberated. On the night of 26 September, Azerbaijan's land and air forces launched raids against several towns, including Stephenkart, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. The fighting has escalated since then. The Armenian-backed Artesian Defense Army has confirmed that Azerbaijani forces have seized parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to a telephone conversation, the Armenian media reported that the Pak army, on behalf of Azerbaijan, was participating in the battle. Two people from Azerbaijan are heard in the audio clippings talking about the involvement of the Pak Army. By the way, during the war in West Asia in the 1970s, the Pak Army, on behalf of the Arab League, was actively involved in the war against Israel.            

            The Armenian military alleges that Turkey has sent Azerbaijan F-16 fighter jets. Armenia alleges that an Air Force fighter jet was destroyed by Turkish F-16 airstrikes. It is alleged that mercenaries were also carried from Syria by Azerbaijan. There are rumours, on the other hand, of the arrival of Russian forces in support of Armenia. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, have called for an immediate truce. On the same day, with Russian military officials and security experts, Putin addressed the Nagorno-Karabakh situation. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for a ceasefire with Armenia and Azerbaijan this week.

                Over the past five years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have met several times to discuss the border situation. But despite the restoration of temporary peace, Nagorno-Karabakh did not find a solution. According to a 2020 study by the Global Military Monitoring Organization, i.e. Global Firepower, in terms of military strength, Azerbaijan ranks 64th out of 137 countries, with Armenia in 111th position. The total number of veterans of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces is 1 lac 26 thousand. In the reserve army, there are three Lakh warriors. The number of Armenian armies, on the other hand, is 45 thousand. Army 2 lac, reserved. However, there are around 25,000 soldiers in the allied 'Artsac Defense Army'.

            According to Experts, the bitter relations between India-China-Pakistan on one side & Armenia-Azerbaijan on the other should not lead to a third world war.