Context:

One of the world’s oldest conflicts, a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has re-erupted with the heaviest clashes in years. In the latest development, Russia brokered a new peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the two countries that have been in a military conflict for over six weeks over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus.

The deal

• The deal, which is meant to end the conflict between the two nations, was signed by
  • Russia (President Vladimir Putin)
  • Azerbaijan (President Ilham Aliyev)
  • Armenia (PM NikolPashinyan)
• As per the new peace deal-
  • Both sides will now maintain positions in the areas that they currently hold, which will mean a significant gain for Azerbaijan as it has reclaimed over 15-20 percent of its lost territory during the recent conflict.
  • All military operations are suspended, Russian peacekeepers will be deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor that connects the region to Armenia.
  • These Russian peacekeepers with a force of roughly 2,000 will be deployed in the area for five years.
  • Refugees and internally displaced persons will return to the region and the adjacent territories and the two sides will also exchange prisoners of wars and bodies.
  • Significantly, a new corridor will be opened from Nakhchivan to Azerbaijan, which will be under Russian control.

Nagorno-Karabakh region

• Nagorno-Karabakh is the subject of an unresolved dispute between Azerbaijan, in which it lies, and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by neighboring Armenia.
• Traditionally inhabited by Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks.
• In Soviet times, it became an autonomous region within the Republic of Azerbaijan
• Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the majority of the population is ethnic Armenian.

The Conflict

• Since 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh.
• The land is an ethnic Arminian enclave with Azerbaijan and it lies approximately 50 kilometers from the Armenian border.
• The region has been out of control of Azerbaijan since the end of the war in 1994.