Armenia warns of renewed escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Yerevan (Armenia) - On the occasion of the meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (61), Armenia has warned against a renewed flare-up of the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and Ilham Aliyev (61), President of Azerbaijan.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and Ilham Aliyev (61), President of Azerbaijan.  © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

"There is a very high probability of escalation" along the Armenian border with Azerbaijan "and in Nagorno-Karabakh", said Armenia's head of government Nikol Pashinyan (47) in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Pashinyan accused the government in Baku of using increasingly "aggressive" rhetoric on a daily basis; Azerbaijan's blockade of the disputed territory was causing a "humanitarian catastrophe".

Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia have been fighting over the border region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Following fighting that left more than 6,500 people dead in 2020, Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement that forced Armenia to give up large areas.

The Chancellor's meeting with Aliyev in Berlin on Tuesday is also likely to be about this topic. Almost two weeks ago, the Federal Chancellor had already received Pashinyan in Berlin and expressed his concern about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

An Azerbaijani tank rolls along a road in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in December 2020.
An Azerbaijani tank rolls along a road in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in December 2020.  © Emrah Gurel/AP/dpa

Armenia has informed Russia about possible escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Since mid-December, Azerbaijanis have been blocking the only road to Nagorno-Karabakh, the Lachin Corridor, severely disrupting supplies to the 120,000 inhabitants of the enclave. The demonstrators claim to be protesting against illegal mining - Yerevan, however, accuses Baku of having ordered a blockade there.

Pashinyan said on Tuesday that he had also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) on the phone about a possible escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh. He told him about "problems" in an area where "Russian peacekeepers are responsible".