https://www.site/2016-04-03/konflikt_v_nagornom_karabahe_chto_proishodit_kto_na_kogo_napal_i_pri_chem_tut_turciya

New war near Russia

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh: what is happening, who attacked whom, what does Turkey and Russia have to do with it

In Nagorno-Karabakh, there is a serious aggravation of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which could escalate into a full-fledged war. the site has collected the most important things that are known about what is happening at the moment.

What happened?

On the morning of April 2, it became known about a sharp aggravation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia mutually accused each other of shelling and offensive actions. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that Armenia violated the ceasefire 127 times, including the military used mortars and heavy machine guns. The Armenian authorities reported that, on the contrary, Azerbaijan violated the truce and is fighting with the use of tanks, artillery and aircraft.

The press service of the Defense Army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic stated that it had shot down a Mi-24/35 helicopter of the Azerbaijani armed forces, but this information was denied in Baku. Armenia reported that Azerbaijan also lost a tank and a drone.

Later, Armenia reported 18 military personnel killed, and Azerbaijan about 12. In Nagorno-Karabakh, they also spoke about civilian casualties, including children killed as a result of shelling.

What is the current situation?

Clashes continue. Azerbaijan stated that on the night of April 2-3, border villages were shelled, although no one was killed. Baku claims that in the course of “response actions” several settlements and strategic heights in Nagorno-Karabakh were captured, but this information is denied in Yerevan, and it is still unclear who to believe. Both sides are talking about heavy losses of opponents. In Azerbaijan, for example, they are sure that they have already destroyed six enemy tanks, 15 artillery mounts and fortifications, and the enemy’s losses in killed and wounded amounted to 100 people. In Yerevan, this is called "disinformation."

In turn, the Karabakh news agency "Artsakhpress" reported that "in total During the hostilities on the night of April 1-2 and throughout the day, the Azerbaijani army lost more than 200 servicemen. Only in the direction of Talysh, at least 30 soldiers of the Azerbaijani special forces were destroyed, in the direction of Martakert - 2 tanks, 2 drones, and in the northern direction - 1 helicopter. The Armenian Defense Ministry published a video of the downed Azerbaijani helicopter and photographs of the bodies of the crew.

As usual, both sides call each other "occupiers" and "terrorists", the most contradictory information is published, even photographs and videos should be treated with skepticism. Modern warfare is information warfare.

How did the world powers react?

The aggravation of the conflict excited all world powers, including Russia and the United States. At the official level, everyone is calling for an early settlement, a truce, a ceasefire, and so on.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the first to express regret that the situation in the conflict zone had again slid into armed confrontation. According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the head of state calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with colleagues from Armenia and Azerbaijan, also urging them to end the conflict.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French President Franus Hollande spoke in favor of a speedy settlement.

The Americans spoke in the same tone. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms the widespread violation of the truce along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, which has reportedly resulted in casualties, including civilians,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Following this, all participants in the so-called OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, also called for stabilization of the situation. “We strongly condemn the use of force and deplore the senseless loss of life, including civilians,” the Russian, French and US representatives said in a joint statement. The Minsk Group will meet in Vienna on April 5 to discuss the current situation in detail.

By Saturday evening, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also commented on the conflict. He also called for the truce to be respected.

And what about Russia, Turkey and the West?

At the same time, the Turkish authorities expressed support for only one side of the conflict - Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan have close partnership relations, they are politically and ethnically close countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences to Ilham Aliyev on the death of Azerbaijani soldiers. Telephone conversations between Aliyev and Erdogan were covered in the media of the two states. It was emphasized that Aliyev considers the incident "a provocation along the line of contact of the troops" and calls the actions of the Azerbaijani military "an adequate response."

Since relations between Turkey and Russia now leave much to be desired, some observers regard the aggravation of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh as an attempt by Turkey (and, presumably, Western countries) to prevent Russia from strengthening in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and the Black Sea. For example, the Free Press website suggested that “the US and Britain have done everything possible to pit Russia and Turkey head-on. From this point of view, Karabakh strengthens the confrontation between Moscow and Ankara.”

Ministry of Defense of the NKR

“Azerbaijan has demonstrated lately that it remains a true ally of Turkey, and now it is trying to get dividends from this. Baku hopes to unfreeze the Karabakh conflict and solve the Karabakh problem in its favor under the political cover of Ankara,” Sergei Yermakov, deputy director of the RISS Tauride Information and Analytical Center, told this site.

At the same time, Leonid Gusev, a researcher at the MGIMO Institute for International Studies Analytical Center, said in an interview with the Ridus news agency that Azerbaijan and Armenia are unlikely to start a full-fledged war, and Turkey does not need another major conflict at all. “I don't think it can happen. Turkey today has big problems besides Azerbaijan and Karabakh. It is now much more important for her to somehow make amends with Russia than to enter into some kind of, even absentee, war with her. Moreover, in my opinion, there are some minimal positive shifts in relations between Turkey and Russia,” he said.

What is happening in Karabakh itself?

They are preparing for war. According to Sputnik Armenia, the administration of the republic forms lists of reservists and organizes the collection of volunteers. Hundreds of people, according to authorities, are sent to the areas of clashes. According to the agency, in the capital of the NKR, Stepanekert, it is still calm and even night cafes are working.

Why the conflict

Since 1988, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been unable to agree on the ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a vast area on the border of the two countries. In Soviet times, it was an autonomous region of the Azerbaijan SSR, but its main population is ethnic Armenians. In 1988, the region announced its withdrawal from the ASSR. In 1992-1994, during the military conflict, Azerbaijan completely lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh, and the area declared independence, calling itself the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

Since then, the world community cannot talk about the fate of the NKR. Russia, the United States and France are taking part in the negotiations within the framework of the OSCE. Armenia stands for the independence of the NKR, while Azerbaijan seeks to return the territory to its state. Although the NKR is not formally recognized by the state, the Armenian community around the world does a lot to lobby for Armenia's interests in the conflict. For example, a number of American states adopted resolutions recognizing the independence of the NKR.

To say that some countries are unambiguously “for Armenia”, while others are “for Azerbaijan” (with the exception of Turkey), perhaps, is impossible. Russia has friendly relations with both countries.

It is hard to believe, but Armenians and Azerbaijanis have been killing and hating each other for decades because of a small geographical area with a total area of ​​just under four and a half thousand square kilometers. This region is divided into mountainous, where the majority of the population were Armenians, and plains, where Azerbaijanis predominated. The peak of skirmishes between nations came at the time of the collapse of the Russian Empire and the civil war. After the Bolsheviks won, and Armenia and Azerbaijan became part of the USSR, the conflict was frozen for many years.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a total area of ​​just under four and a half thousand square kilometers // Photo: inosmi.ru

By the decision of the Soviet authorities, Nagorno-Karabakh became part of Azerbaijan. The Armenian population could not come to terms with this for a long time, but they did not dare to resist this decision. All manifestations of nationalism were severely suppressed. And yet, the local population always said that it was part of the USSR, and not the Azerbaijan SSR.

Perestroika and Chardakhlu

Even in Soviet times, skirmishes on ethnic grounds took place in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the Kremlin did not attach any importance to this. After all, there was no nationalism in the USSR, and Soviet citizens were a single people. Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika, with its democratization and glasnost, unfrozen the conflict.

No dramatic events took place on the disputed territory itself, unlike the village of Chardakhlu in the Azerbaijan SSR, where a local party leader decided to change the head of the collective farm. The former head of the Armenian was shown the door and an Azerbaijani was appointed instead of him. This did not suit the residents of Chardakhlu. They refused to recognize the new boss, for which they were beaten, and some were arrested on false charges. This situation again did not cause any reaction from the center, but the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh began to resent what the Azerbaijanis were doing to the Armenians. After this, the demands to annex Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia began to sound very loud and persistent.

The position of the authorities and the first blood

At the end of the 1980s, Armenian delegations rushed to Moscow, trying to explain to the center that Nagorno-Karabakh was a primordially Armenian territory, which, by a huge mistake, was annexed to Azerbaijan. The leadership was asked to correct the historical injustice and return the region to its homeland. These requests were reinforced by mass rallies in which the Armenian intelligentsia took part. The Center listened attentively, but was in no hurry to make any decisions.

Requests to return Nagorno-Karabakh to their homeland were reinforced by mass rallies in which the Armenian intelligentsia took part. The center listened attentively, but was in no hurry to make any decisions // Photo: kavkaz-uzel.eu

Meanwhile, in Nagorno-Karabakh, aggressive sentiments against the neighbor grew by leaps and bounds, especially among young people. The last straw was the campaign of Azerbaijanis against Stepanakert. Its participants sincerely believed that Armenians were brutally killing Azerbaijanis in the largest city of Nagorno-Karabakh, which in fact was not even close to true. The crowd of distraught avengers was met by a police cordon near Askeran. During the suppression of the rebellion, two Azerbaijanis were killed. These events led to mass pogroms in Sumgayit, a satellite town of Baku. Azerbaijani nationalists killed twenty-six Armenians and inflicted various injuries on hundreds. It was possible to stop the pogrom only after the introduction of troops into the city. After that, war became inevitable.

A crisis

The pogrom in Sumgayit led to the fact that the Azerbaijanis threw everything they had acquired and fled from Armenia, fearing death. The same was done by the Armenians, who ended up in Azerbaijan by the will of fate. The real hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR and the declaration of independence by Azerbaijan and Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh also declared itself a sovereign state, but none of the foreign countries was in a hurry to recognize its independence.

In the nineties, gangs began an open war in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the number of victims went from dozens to hundreds. The Karabakh war flared up with renewed vigor after the troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs, which ceased to exist, were withdrawn from the disputed territory, until the last they did not allow the massacre to begin. The armed conflict lasted for three years and was stopped by the signing of a ceasefire agreement. More than thirty thousand people became victims in this war.

Our days

Despite the truce, skirmishes in Nagorno-Karabakh did not stop. Neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan wanted to cede the disputed territory. This situation led to an extraordinary growth of nationalism. A neutral rather than hateful comment about a neighbor was viewed with suspicion.

A military clash arose here, since the vast majority of the inhabitants inhabiting the territory have Armenian roots. The essence of the conflict is that Azerbaijan makes quite reasonable demands on this territory, however, the inhabitants of the region gravitate more towards Armenia. On May 12, 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh ratified a protocol that established a truce, which resulted in an unconditional ceasefire in the conflict zone.

Excursion into history

Armenian historical sources claim that Artsakh (the ancient Armenian name) was first mentioned in the 8th century BC. According to these sources, Nagorno-Karabakh was part of Armenia in the early Middle Ages. As a result of the aggressive wars of Turkey and Iran in this era, a significant part of Armenia came under the control of these countries. The Armenian principalities, or melikdoms, at that time located on the territory of modern Karabakh, retained a semi-independent status.

Azerbaijan has its own point of view on this issue. According to local researchers, Karabakh is one of the most ancient historical regions of their country. The word “Karabakh” in Azerbaijani is translated as follows: “gara” means black, and “bag” means garden. Already in the 16th century, together with other provinces, Karabakh was part of the Safavid state, and after that it became an independent khanate.

Nagorno-Karabakh during the Russian Empire

In 1805, the Karabakh khanate was subordinated to the Russian Empire, and in 1813, under the Gulistan peace treaty, Nagorno-Karabakh also became part of Russia. Then, according to the Turkmenchay Treaty, as well as an agreement concluded in the city of Edirne, Armenians were resettled from Turkey and Iran and settled in the territories of Northern Azerbaijan, including Karabakh. Thus, the population of these lands is predominantly of Armenian origin.

As part of the USSR

In 1918, the newly created Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gained control over Karabakh. Almost simultaneously, the Armenian Republic puts forward claims to this area, but the ADR claims these claims. In 1921, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh with the rights of broad autonomy is included in the Azerbaijan SSR. Two years later, Karabakh receives the status (NKAR).

In 1988, the Council of Deputies of the NKAO petitioned the authorities of the AzSSR and the ArmSSR of the republics and proposed to transfer the disputed territory to Armenia. was not satisfied, as a result of which a wave of protest swept through the cities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Solidarity demonstrations were also held in Yerevan.

Declaration of Independence

In the early autumn of 1991, when the Soviet Union had already begun to fall apart, the NKAO adopted a Declaration proclaiming the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Moreover, in addition to the NKAO, it included part of the territories of the former AzSSR. According to the results of the referendum held on December 10 of the same year in Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 99% of the population of the region voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan.

It is quite obvious that the referendum was not recognized by the Azerbaijani authorities, and the act of proclamation itself was designated as illegal. Moreover, Baku decided to abolish the autonomy of Karabakh, which it enjoyed in Soviet times. However, the destructive process has already been launched.

Karabakh conflict

For the independence of the self-proclaimed republic, Armenian detachments stood up, which Azerbaijan tried to resist. Nagorno-Karabakh received support from official Yerevan, as well as from the national diaspora in other countries, so the militia managed to defend the region. However, the Azerbaijani authorities still managed to establish control over several regions, which were initially proclaimed part of the NKR.

Each of the opposing sides cites its own statistics of losses in the Karabakh conflict. Comparing these data, we can conclude that 15-25 thousand people died in the three years of sorting out the relationship. At least 25,000 were wounded, and more than 100,000 civilians were forced to leave their places of residence.

Peace settlement

Negotiations, during which the parties tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, began almost immediately after an independent NKR was proclaimed. For example, on September 23, 1991, a meeting was held, which was attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Russia and Kazakhstan. In the spring of 1992, the OSCE established a group for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Despite all the attempts of the international community to stop the bloodshed, it was not until the spring of 1994 that a ceasefire was achieved. On May 5, the Bishkek Protocol was signed, after which the participants ceased fire a week later.

The parties to the conflict failed to agree on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan demands respect for its sovereignty and insists on maintaining its territorial integrity. The interests of the self-proclaimed republic are protected by Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh is in favor of a peaceful resolution of controversial issues, while the authorities of the republic emphasize that the NKR is able to stand up for its independence.

These days, thirty years ago, in 1988, events began to take place in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which formed the basis of a long-term conflict, which today is referred to as the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Despite the prescription of years, the events of that period are still the subject of close interest and the object of fierce discussions.

On April 4, Generals Vladislav Safonov and Kamil Mammadov spoke about how the conflict developed and how it was possible to maintain control over the operational situation under these conditions at the Sputnik Azerbaijan multimedia press center.

As noted in a press release from the Center for the History of the Caucasus, received by Day.Az, prepared on the basis of materials from Sputnik Azerbaijan, with the personal participation of Vladislav Safonov and Kamil Mammadov, it was possible to ensure relative stability in Karabakh and avoid great bloodshed in the initial stages of the conflict until the collapse of the USSR.

The event was attended by the first commandant of the special situation area of ​​the NKAO (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of the Azerbaijan SSR), Major General Vladislav Safonov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs for Police and Operations (in 1981-1989), Major General Kamil Mammadov, as well as the Director Center for the History of the Caucasus, senior researcher at the Institute of Law and Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Rizvan Huseynov.

Major General Vladislav Safonov, who now lives in Russia, was the first commandant of the NKAO region of special status. He held this position from May 1988 to December 1990. With the personal participation of Safonov, in a very difficult situation, it was possible to ensure relative stability and avoid much bloodshed. From the very beginning of the conflict in 1988, Major General Kamil Mammadov was also sent to Karabakh, who, being a high-ranking officer, made a great contribution to the defense of Azerbaijani lands from Armenian occupation.

V.Safonov disclosed the details of the meeting in Nagorno-Karabakh with State Duma deputy of the second convocation Galina Starovoitova, who called him "Karabakh's Pinochet."

The approaching collapse of the USSR was the spark that led to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, V.Safonov believes. According to him, everyone believes that Karabakh was a testing ground for the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"In Karabakh, they practiced whether the authorities would withstand it or not. Everything that happened there was due to the impotence not only of the authorities of the Soviet Union, but also of the republican authorities," Safonov noted.

Major General Vladislav Safonov also spoke about the situation that prevailed in Karabakh at the very beginning of the conflict. The spark that led to the flare-up of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the approaching collapse of the USSR. According to him, until December 1990, Khankendi (former Stepanakert) and nearby territories were cleared of all kinds of gangs, operations were carried out to seize weapons and foreign uniforms.

"When the congress of the national economy was held in Stepanakert (Khankendi - ed.), the territory was free for everyone. People from all regions of Azerbaijan went there and watched. I was afraid that order might be broken there, but the territory was free," Safonov said.

The general noted that the upcoming collapse of the USSR served as an outbreak for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: “Karabakh was a kind of test zone, where it was tested whether the state could withstand it. Three presidents were replaced during my tenure as commandant. In Karabakh, the chairman of the KGB was also replaced - he became Yevgeny Voiko. When reinforcements were sent from Baku, we tried to settle everything."

"Five people's deputies from the ArmSSR, including Z. Balayan, carried out work to disrupt the order, I regularly received complaints and letters against them. At our request, a decision was made to isolate them. The Alpha group compiled a corresponding list. We sat and waited, when the head gives his consent, but the order has not been received," the major general said.

In turn, Major General Kamil Mammadov noted that the Karabakh events began on February 12, 1988: "We could never imagine that such a situation could arise. Baku has always been a hospitable city. Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis lived here ", both Jews and Russians. No one has ever divided anyone by nationality. Each nation believed in its own God, but obeyed the law." Kamil Mammadov, in turn, noted that the pain of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will remain with us until we finally resolve this issue.

According to him, the events in Karabakh began on February 12, 1988, more than 30 years have passed since then: “We were told that the main reason for the separation of Karabakh is that there is a very low standard of living. The separatist forces were interested in this. But we have documents that prove that the standard of living in Karabakh was much higher than in general in Azerbaijan or Armenia."

The general said that he arrived in Karabakh in the very first days of the conflict - February 13, 1988. On the square between the district committee and the regional executive committee that day a crowd of about two hundred or three hundred people gathered. And everyone was chanting miatsum. They demanded separation from Azerbaijan and "reunification" with Armenia.

“It was all incomprehensible to me then. We were not ready for such a situation. I then informed Baku that the Armenian population of Karabakh was hostile, they demanded “reunification” with Armenia. And the reason for this, according to them, is the low standard of living in Karabakh. This was the main argument on which the Armenian side then relied," he said.

Mammadov also showed the audience a number of documents, newspaper clippings on the Karabakh events during the press conference. In addition, the major-general acquainted the journalists with the map he seized in those years from an Armenian prisoner of war.

This map of "Great Armenia" from sea to sea" shows the old dream of Armenian nationalists - "Armenia from sea to sea", which included Tbilisi, Baku, and many other lands.

"In a small square in the center of Khankendi, 200-300 Armenian separatists chanted the slogan "miatsum" demanding that the NKAR be annexed to the ArmSSR. I reported to Baku about the difficult situation that had developed here and was ready to resolve the issue in the bud through the special police squad that was under my command. I developed a plan to arrest all the instigators of the rally and other separatists in Khankendi, however, from Baku, the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, V. Konovalov, ordered me not to use force and threatened to hand me over to the tribunal if I did this. He claimed that the center itself would decide this issue by peaceful means, but this did not happen, and the chance to crush Armenian separatism in the bud was missed," K. Mammadov shared his memories.

Then the floor was taken by General V. Safonov, who added to what was said that in Karabakh at that time the population was about 167 thousand people, among whom only 20% were Azerbaijanis. And the standard of living in Karabakh then was quite good. But the fact is that it was the majority of these 20% of the Azerbaijanis who were there who lived not in Khankendi itself, but outside it, in the villages. According to him, it was these people who had very difficult conditions. It was almost a primitive way of life. He said that people lived practically in dugouts, so miserable and beggarly that it shocked visitors.

"Therefore, later I took guides to these villages to show how poor Azerbaijanis live. So that they can see with their own eyes who is a beggar in Nagorno-Karabakh. Mutalibov even came there three times," Safonov said.

The Russian general told reporters about the terrible events in Karabakh, as well as why he left his post of commandant in Karabakh. The upper echelons of the Soviet and Azerbaijani authorities did not make the right decision on the situation in Shusha, Vladislav Safonov said. He said that he left Karabakh on December 12, 1990. According to him, until 1991, the territory of Khankendi and other territories adjacent to it were mostly cleared of Armenian gangs. And no military and provocative speeches were allowed there.

"We carried out operations to open caches with weapons and ammunition, weapons and military uniforms were confiscated from the local population. Among all this, there were foreign weapons," he said.

The general also said that Viktor Polyanichko, who then headed the special administration committee and, according to Safonov, was not sufficiently appreciated in Azerbaijan, held events of a republican scale in Khankendi. For example, a congress of workers in agriculture, railway transport, and so on was held there. That is, people from all regions of Azerbaijan came to Khankendi. According to him, the arriving people went everywhere: “For me, this was a big headache, because I was afraid of provocations. Well, the visiting people were interested in everything, they went everywhere, looked at how the situation was. So this territory was absolutely free everyone could move freely."

According to Safonov, Yerevan emissaries were also sent to Karabakh at that time. Among them were people's deputies from Karabakh, among them Zori Balayan, who carried out work there on the decomposition of the existing system and order. The general said that these people wrote complaints against the commandant, on which he later had to report twice to the collegiums of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And to explain who contributed to nationalism, incitement, incitement and bloodshed.

Safonov, answering journalists' questions about why he was nicknamed "Rock-General" or "Iron General" in Karabakh, said that he was so nicknamed because he did not try to dissemble and in a difficult situation did what was prescribed by law and charters. That is, strictly follow what was supposed to commandants. "Some tried to play along with someone somewhere. I strictly followed the law. I strictly asked for the implementation of instructions and, regardless of the political color that was presented, I did what was prescribed, and most importantly, prescribed by the Constitution. Indivisibility, unity of territories each republic and the Soviet Union as a whole is an indestructible thing. And no matter how they tried to historically justify that Nagorno-Karabakh does not belong to Azerbaijan, but to Armenia, I did not pay attention to it," the general emphasized.

Safonov also said that at the request of him and his team, the deputy chairman of the KGB of the USSR, a decision was made to isolate persons engaged in obvious anti-Soviet activities. For this, the Alfa group even came to Karabakh.

"We waited three or four days, not allowing any leaks about our plans. We were waiting for consent to this operation to be sent down from above. Consent was not received," he said.

According to the general, his dismissal was due to both the presence of a large number of spiteful critics, and the fact that one man in the field is not a warrior. He told how, before leaving Karabakh in December 1990, he spoke at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan. During his speech, Safonov brought to the attention of the audience all the intelligence data on how the Armenian side is preparing, what kind of mobilized formations they have, what weapons and equipment they have.

"I issued the entire intelligence report at that meeting, which was also attended by the then president of the country, Ayaz Mutalibov. But I also said that the Azerbaijani side is not preparing for resistance at all," he stressed.

The general also touched upon Shushi in his speech at the conference. According to him, at that time he and his team were active supporters of the fact that Azerbaijanis - refugees from Yerevan, settled in Baku - received land in these territories. And they called to help these people so that they could build houses and equip their lives. At the same time, according to Safonov, they advocated that protection be organized for these families there. But this was not done for the families who arrived in Shusha, no additional units were sent. Since then the Minister of Internal Affairs Mammad Asadov relied on the newly created OMON units.

“He assured that all issues would be resolved. And then I warned that they would not help in any way there, that these guys were cannon fodder. But no other decision was made in the upper echelons. And further events that followed after my departure showed themselves that nothing can be done on patriotism and desire alone. We need professional training," Safonov concluded.

The conference ended with a speech by the director of the Center for the History of the Caucasus, Rizvan Huseynov, who recalled that these days it has been two years since the April 2016 battles. According to him, in those days, the Azerbaijani army achieved some success. Some territories of Azerbaijan were liberated from occupation.

"The Azerbaijani army carried out a large-scale offensive with new forces. If in the 90s there was a completely different preparation, now we have seen a synthesis of the old military school new," he said.

R. Huseynov noted that foreign experts, including Russian military specialists, noted that the April battles showed the high fighting spirit of the Azerbaijani army, the courage of ordinary soldiers and officers. Also, the April battles made it possible to draw attention to some shortcomings and weaknesses in actions on the battlefield. The April events changed both the negotiation process and the philosophy of understanding by the Armenian side of what their "miatsum" turned out to be thirty years later, Huseynov concluded.

The war in Nagorno-Karabakh is smaller than the Chechen one, with about 50,000 deaths, but the duration of this conflict is longer than all the Caucasian wars of recent decades. So, today it is worth remembering why Nagorno-Karabakh became known to the whole world, the essence and causes of the conflict, and what the latest news is from this region.

Prehistory of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh

The prehistory of the Karabakh conflict is very long, but in short, its cause can be expressed as follows: Azerbaijanis, who are Muslims, have long begun to argue over territory with Armenians, who are Christians. It is difficult for a modern layman to understand the essence of the conflict, since killing each other because of nationality and religion in the 20-21st century, yes, as well as because of the territory, is complete idiocy. Well, you don’t like the state within whose borders you find yourself, pack your bags, but go to Tula or Krasnodar to sell tomatoes - you are always welcome there. Why war, why blood?

The scoop is to blame

Once, under the USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh was included in the Azerbaijan SSR. By mistake or not by mistake, it doesn’t matter, but the Azerbaijanis had paper on land. Probably, it would be possible to agree peacefully, dance a collective lezginka and treat each other with watermelon. But it was not there. The Armenians did not want to live in Azerbaijan, to accept its language and legislation. But they didn’t really intend to dump to Tula to sell tomatoes or to their own Armenia. Their argument was ironclad and quite traditional: “Didas lived here!”.

The Azerbaijanis also did not want to give up their territory, they also had didas living there, and there was also paper on the ground. Therefore, they did exactly the same as Poroshenko in Ukraine, Yeltsin in Chechnya and Snegur in Transnistria. That is, they sent in troops to restore constitutional order and protect the integrity of the borders. The first channel would call it a Bandera punitive operation or an invasion of blue fascists. By the way, the well-known hotbeds of separatism and wars, the Russian Cossacks, actively fought on the side of the Armenians.

In general, the Azerbaijanis started shooting at the Armenians, and the Armenians at the Azerbaijanis. In those years, God sent a sign to Armenia - the Spitak earthquake, in which 25,000 people died. Well, it seems like the Armenians would have taken it and left for the vacant place, but they still really did not want to give the land to the Azerbaijanis. And so they shot at each other for almost 20 years, signed all sorts of agreements, stopped shooting, and then started again. The latest news from Nagorno-Karabakh is still periodically full of headlines about shootings, killed and wounded, that is, although there is no big war, it is smoldering. In 2014, with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group, together with the United States and France, a process was launched to resolve this war. But this did not bear fruit either - the point continues to be hot.

Everyone probably guesses that there is a Russian trace in this conflict. Russia really could have settled the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh a long time ago, but it is unprofitable for it. Formally, it recognizes the borders of Azerbaijan, but it helps Armenia - just as duplicitously as in Transnistria!

Both states are very dependent on Russia and the Russian government does not want to lose this dependence. Both countries have Russian military installations - in Armenia, the base in Gyumri, and in Azerbaijan - the Gabala radar station. Russian Gazprom deals with both countries, buying gas for supplies to the EU. And if one of the countries comes out from under Russian influence, it will be able to become independent and rich, what good else will it join NATO or hold a gay parade. Therefore, Russia is very interested in the weak countries of the CIS, and that is why it supports death, war and conflicts there.

But as soon as the power changes, Russia will unite with Azerbaijan and Armenia within the EU, tolerance will come in all countries, Muslims, Christians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Russians will hug each other and will visit each other.

In the meantime, the percentage of hatred for each other among Azerbaijanis and Armenians is simply off scale. Get yourself a VK account under an Armenian or Azeri, chat, and just be amazed at how serious the split is.

I would like to believe that maybe even after 2-3 generations this hatred will subside to nothing.