Armenia-Azerbaijan Border © Onnik James Krikorian 1994
Today marks the 28th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement that temporarily halted fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh. Coming into force at 12.01 am on 12 May 1994, its terms, as dictated by the 5 May Bishkek Protocol, were nonetheless left unimplemented for decades, ultimately leading to the 2020 second Karabakh war.
Participants of the meeting held in May 4-5 in Bishkek on the initiative of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, Federal Congress and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation:
-express determination to assist in all possible ways to the cessation of armed conflict in and around Nagorno Karabakh, which does not only cause irretrievable losses to Azerbaijani and Armenian people, but also significantly affects the interests of other countries in the region and seriously complicates the international situation;
-supporting the April 15, 1994 Statement by the CIS Council of heads of states, express readiness to fully support the efforts by heads and representatives of executive power on cessation of the armed conflict and liquidation of its consequences by reaching an appropriate agreement as soon as possible;
-advocate a naturally active role of the Commonwealth and Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in cessation of the conflict, in realization of thereupon principles, goals and the UN and OSCE certain decisions (first of all the UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884);
-call upon the conflicting sides to come to common senses: cease to fire at the midnight of May 8 to 9, guided by the February 18, 1994 Protocol (including the part on allocating observers), and work intensively to confirm this as soon as possible by signing a reliable, legally binding agreement envisaging a mechanism, ensuring the non-resumption of military and hostile activities, withdrawal of troops from occupied territories and restoration of communication, return of refugees;
-agree to suggest Parliaments of the CIS member-states to discuss the initiative by Chairman of Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly V. Shumeyko and Head of the Assembly’s Peacemaking Group on Nagorno Karabakh M. Sherimkulov on creating a CIS peacemaking force; -consider appropriate to continue such meetings for peaceful resolution of the armed conflict;
-express gratitude to the people and leadership of Kyrgyzstan for creating excellent working conditions, cordiality and hospitality.
On behalf of the delegations:
A. Jalilov (signed by R. Guliyev)
K. Babouryan
B. Ararktsyan
V. Shumeyko
M. Sherimkulov
V. Kazimirov (Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation, Head of the Russian Mediation Mission)
M. Krotov(Head of the Secretariat of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of CIS member-states)
Bishkek, 5 May 1994
As some of us warned, this failure to implement the 1994 ceasefire, and especially the return of any of the seven regions that surrounded the Soviet-era Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), and as demanded by the four UN Security Council resolutions mentioned above, made another war inevitable, after Levon Ter Petrosyan was forced to resign by the late Vazgen Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan.
Azerbaijani Prisoner of War, Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik James Krikorian 1994
Fast forward to today, 28 years after the 1994 ceasefire agreement, and a more genuine peace process appears to be in motion following trilateral meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani officials facilitated by Russia and bilateral meetings facilitated by the European Union. There is also another ceasefire agreement signed on 9 November 2020 that reflects a new reality after nearly three decades of previous negotiations failing to yield results.
We, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan I. H. Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia N. V. Pashinyan and President of the Russian Federation V. V. Putin, declare the following:
1. A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shall be introduced at 00:00 hours Moscow time on 10 November 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, shall stop at their current positions.
2. Aghdam district shall be returned to the Republic of Azerbaijan by 20 November 2020.
3. Along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation shall be deployed in the amount of 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, and 380 units of the automobile and special equipment.
4. The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation shall be deployed in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces. The period of stay of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is 5 years and shall be automatically extended by a further five-year period if none of the Parties declares six months prior to the expiration of the period of its intention to terminate the application of this provision.
5. In order to increase the effectiveness of control over the implementation of the agreements by the Parties to the conflict, a peacekeeping center shall be deployed to exercise control over the ceasefire.
6.The Republic of Armenia shall return Kalbajar district to the Republic of Azerbaijan by 15 November 2020 and Lachin district by 1 December 2020. The Lachin corridor (5km wide), which shall provide a connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and shall not affect the city of Shusha, shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent.
By agreement of the Parties, a plan for the construction of a new route along the Lachin corridor shall be determined in the next three years, providing communication between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, with the subsequent redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route.
The Republic of Azerbaijan shall guarantee the safety of citizens, vehicles and goods traveling along the Lachin corridor in both directions.
7. Internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts under the control of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
8. The exchange of prisoners of war and other detainees and bodies of the dead shall be carried out.
9. All economic and transport links in the region shall be restored. The Republic of Armenia guarantees the safety of transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to organize an unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions. Control over transport shall be exercised by the bodies of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia.
By agreement of the Parties, the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan shall be ensured.
10 November 2020
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia
President of the Russian Federation
It should be noted that even the opposition led by those political forces supporting the former Kocharyan and Sargsyan regimes currently protesting in Yerevan, albeit in small numbers, have stated that if in power they would not renege on the 2020 November ceasefire agreement as well as any trilateral statements issues since. But, unlike the 1994 ceasefire agreement that was never implemented fully, there’s now even less time for this one.
Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh © Onnik James Krikorian 1994
Today, 28 years after the 1994 ceasefire agreement, the ceasefire agreement signed on 9 November 2020 reflects a new reality after nearly three decades of maximalist position that led nowhere other than war. There is also the need to change societal attitudes towards a peace that, while inevitable, should be sought sooner rather than later, as some civil society activists and others in Armenia recently highlighted.
We believe that warmongering political parties no longer have a place in Armenia, because the harmful era when the Karabakh issue was misused as a means for regime change has ended. Therefore, there is nothing left for them to do but to seek to stoke a civil war as a final attempt to grab power from the people. It is absolutely clear that none of the self-declared “saviors of the nation” are ready to wage war against Azerbaijan, much less Turkey. Therefore, the only target that this new “Armenian vengeance” can seek is “the Turk within” meaning citizens of the Republic of Armenia just like us, people who have chosen not to die for the country, but to live for it, those that elect to live on the path of freedom, dignity, and happiness. We are breaking the silence of thousands of citizens that think like us and reject labels like “Turk” and “traitor to the nation” by demanding that the legitimate rulers of the Republic of Armenia stay true to their promise and resolve the Karabakh conflict through a peace treaty.
Sadly, the rest of civil society remains inactive in preparing the populations in both Armenia and Azerbaijan for this even though official rhetoric has changed. There are, however, some notable exceptions – Bright Garden Voices, Caucasus Edition, LINKS Europe, and the International Crisis Group. But the silence or apparent reluctance to endorse and support the current peace process from others is somewhat disgraceful given their funding to date.
Today, 28 years after the 1994 armistice and 15 years after the 2020 ceasefire agreement, this must change, as myself and others such as Caucasus Edition have articulated many times. In an uncertain world and an even more unpredictable region, time is running out for that to happen so, on this anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire agreement, the lessons and failures of the past must be acknowledged and another disastrous path to a new war ruled out.
For once, there is a very real opportunity to finally do just that.
Me in Khramort, Nagorno Karabakh 1994
