Aliyev also said that Turkey, a close ally of Baku, would participate in the peacekeeping center to oversee the ceasefire. Since the fighting began on 27 September, several thousand people have reportedly been killed on both sides. Three ceasefire agreements failed as soon as they came into force. In October of this year, the two countries agreed on a ceasefire agreement, which was also negotiated by Russia but was unsuccessful. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram Meanwhile, Armenian protesters, furious at the deal, stormed the government headquarters in Yerevan, according to the AFP news agency. Several thousand of them gathered in front of the government building, and a few hundred of them entered, looted offices and smashed windows. “We believe that the agreements reached will create the necessary conditions for a long-term and full-fledged settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis on a fair basis and in the interests of the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples,” Putin said. The new ceasefire agreement angered Armenia when protesters stormed Parliament, beat the speaker and allegedly looted the prime minister`s office. Azerbaijan`s president, Ilham Aliyev, said Pachinjan had no choice but to sign the “historic agreement.” A war between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces ended in 1994 with a ceasefire, with Armenia having full control of Nagorno-Karabakh and other surrounding enclaves of Azerbaijani territory. Azerbaijan is predominantly Muslim and Armenia is predominantly Christian, and some elements on both sides are trying to pour the conflict into religious terms.
Aliyev also claimed that Turkish peacekeeping forces were deployed as part of the agreement, although no details have been released. The 9 November agreement raised fears that a possible Turkish land bridge between Turkey and Central Asia would limit Iran`s access to its land border with southern Armenia. As a result, Iran is likely to support Armenia`s efforts to regain sovereignty over this southern border area and Nagorno-Karabakh. Iran could also use its existing recognition programs and extremist networks, which aim to spread pro-Iranian sentiment in Azerbaijan in order to increase its influence in negotiations with its northwestern neighbours. This is especially true as Iran prepares to negotiate with the new Biden administration, which could facilitate Iran`s ability to do business in the South Caucasus. According to local media, a large crowd gathered in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to protest against the agreement. They broke into the Parliament and government buildings and shouted, “We will not give up.” After the signing of the agreement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pachinjan said: “This is not a victory, but there is no defeat until you consider yourself defeated, we will never consider ourselves defeated, and it will be a new beginning in an era of national unity and rebirth.” [13] Following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, violent demonstrations took place in Yerevan.