2008 Mardakert skirmishes

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=2008 Mardakert skirmishes
partof=

caption=NKR, Mardakert, and the line of contact
date=March 4, 2008
place=Mardakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.
result=Both sides claim victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=Movses Hakobyan
commander2=Najmaddin Sadygov
strength1=?
strength2=?, Armored vehicles
casualties1=Dead:
None (Armenian claim)
12 (Azerbaijani claim)

Wounded:
2
casualties2=Dead:
4 (Azerbaijani claim)
8 (Armenian claim)

Armenian sources accused Azerbaijan of trying to take advantage of ongoing unrest in Armenia. Azerbaijani sources blamed Armenia, claiming that the Armenian government was trying to divert attention from internal tensions in Armenia. At the same time, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev had insisted on numerous occasions that his country was ready to re-take the region by force, and had been buying the military hardware and ammunition to do so. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7357504 Armenian and Azerbaijani Forces Clash] The Guardian, AIDA SULTANOVA, March 4, 2008] .

Background

Nagorno-Karabakh War

During and shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenians in the then autonomous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azeris were involved in an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994. As the war progressed, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet Republics, became enveloped in a protracted, undeclared war in the mountainous heights of Karabakh as Azerbaijan attempted to curb a secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave's parliament had voted in favor of uniting itself with Armenia and a referendum was held with the vast majority of the Karabakh population voting in favor of independence. The demand to unify with Armenia, which proliferated in the late 1980s, began in a relatively peaceful manner; however, in the following months, as the Soviet Union's disintegration neared, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between the two ethnic groups, resulting in claims of ethnic cleansing by all sides.cite web
last = Rieff
first = David
title=Without Rules or Pity
work=Foreign Affairs v76, n2 1997
url=http://www.cilicia.com/armo19e.html
publisher=Council on Foreign Relations
date=June 1997
accessdate=2007-02-13] [cite book
last =Lieberman
first = Benjamin
title = Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe
publisher = Ivan R. Dee
date = 2006
location = Chicago
pages = 284–292
isbn = 1-5666-3646-9]

The war was the most destructive ethnic conflict in both terms of lives and property that emerged after the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991. [The casualties of the war are conflicting and exact numbers are unknown due to the fact that exact body counts were never properly ascertained by either side or by international organizations. In the initial years of combat, casualties were reported to be much lower than what was later asserted after the war ended. Most sources however place the figures near 25–35,000. Time Magazine, for example lists the number as at least 35,000 people on both sides [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,990805,00.html] . The US State Department [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2909.htm] and NPR [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5357869] put the numbers slightly lower at around 30,000. There have been subsequent casualties which resulted from the tripping of land mines, often by civilians. Numerous cease fire violations on the borders also result in the deaths of several soldiers each year. Other ethnic conflicts with comparative casualties included the First Chechen War and the civil war in Georgia.] Inter ethnic fighting between the two broke out shortly after the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous oblast in Azerbaijan, voted to unify the region with Armenia on February 20, 1988. The declaration of seceding from Azerbaijan was the final result of a "long-standing resentment in the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh against serious limitations of its cultural and religious freedom by central Soviet and Azerbaijani authorities," [cite book
last = Duursma
first = Jorri C.
authorlink =
title = Fragmentation and the International Relations of Micro-states: Self-determination and Statehood
publisher = Cambridge University Press
date = 1996
location = Cambridge
pages = 93
isbn = 0-5215-6360-7 ] but more importantly, as a territorial conflict regarding the land.cite book
last = Croissant
first = Michael P.
title = The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications
publisher = Praeger
date = 1998
location = London
isbn = 0-275-96241-5]

As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan, and in the process proclaimed the enclave the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. [It should be noted that at the time of the dissolution of the USSR, the United States government recognized as legitimate the pre-Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 1933 borders of the country (the Franklin D. Roosevelt government established diplomatic relations with the Kremlin at the end of that year. Because of this, the George H. Bush administration openly supported the secession of the Baltic SSRs, but regarded the questions related to the independence and territorial conflicts of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the rest of the Transcaucasus as internal Soviet affairs.]

Full-scale fighting erupted in the late winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including Europe's OSCE failed to bring an end resolution that both sides could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured regions outside the enclave itself, threatening the involvement of other countries in the region. By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of not only the enclave but also held and currently control approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave. [Using numbers provided by journalist Thomas de Waal for the area of each rayon as well as the area of the Nagorno Karabakh Oblast and the total area of Azerbaijan are (in square kilometres):1,936, Kelbajar;1,835, Lachin;802, Kubatly;1,050, Jebrail;707, Zangelan; 842, Aghdam;462, Fizuli;75, exclaves;totaling 7,709km² or 8.9%: de Waal. "Black Garden", p. 286.] As many as 230,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and 800,000 Azeris from Armenia and Karabakh have been displaced as a result of the conflictcite web
last = The Central Intelligence Agency
title= The CIA World Factbook: Transnational Issues in Country Profile of Azerbaijan
url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html
accessdate=2007-03-07 |quote=over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia] . A Russian-brokered cease fire was signed in May 1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ceasefire is self-monitored by the armed forces of the now defacto independent Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and by Azerbaijan. Violations of the ceasefire (in the form of sporadic shooting incidence) have been an occurrence but the ceasefire has largely held. [ [http://www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=343239&apc_state=henh Mutual Recriminations After Karabakh Clash] IPWR March 7, 2008]

2008 Armenian Presidential Election Protests

Following the Armenian Presidential Election of 2008, there were a series of mass protests in Yerevan, Armenia alleging electoral fraud. Initially these protests were peaceful though unauthorized by government. They began on February 20 and lasted for 10-days. Despite the urging of the government to stop the unauthorized demonstrations, the protests continued till March 1st. On the morning of March 1, police and army troops dispersed the 700-1,000 persons who remained overnight. At noon on March 1, over ten thousand demonstrators held a protest at the French embassy in Yerevan and over the evening, clashes broke out between protestors and law enforcement. A 20-day state of emergency, including a censure on free press, was declared by the incumbent President Robert Kocharyan. On March 2, the Armenian Army was arrived to with armoured personnel carriers.

Prelude

In a sign of disapproval after the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, Azerbaijan's parliament voted to withdraw a 33-strong Azeri peacekeeping team that has been serving there under NATO command since 1999, as a part of Turkish peacekeeping mission. Speaking on March 4th, Azerbaijan's president Ilham Aliyev said that Kosovo's independence is "emboldening Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh", and that his country was ready to take it back by force. He further added: "We have been buying military machinery, airplanes and ammunition to be ready to liberate the occupied territories, and we are ready to do this." Aliyev nevertheless expressed hope that Azerbaijan's growing military could nudge talks towards a diplomatic breakthrough: "A time will come when the Armenians will agree to that (settlement)," he said. [http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL04930529 Azerbaijan may use force in Karabakh after Kosovo] reuters, March 4, 2008]

Active Stage

According to the Armenian side, Azerbaijani forces attacked Armenian positions near the village of Levonarkh in the Mardakert Region of north-eastern Nagorno-Karabakh early March 4, 2008. They then briefly seized positions held by Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian forces, which were later taken back. The Armenian side also claimed that 8 Azeri servicemen were killed and 2 Armenian ones were wounded, and that the Azeris fled leaving armament on the battlefield. [ [http://www.defacto.am/index.php?OP=71397073 DURING ATTACK AZERI PARTY LOST 8 SERVICEMEN] defacto.am March 5, 2008] Armenian president Robert Kocharian also claimed that Azeri troops used heavy artillery in fighting. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Robert Kocharyan: "Azerbaijani army used artillery" |url=http://www.today.az/news/politics/43559.html |work= |publisher=Day.Az |date=2008-03-05 |accessdate=2008-03-07 ]

According to the Azerbaijani side, Armenian forces attacked the positions of Azerbaijani army in the Tartar district of Azerbaijan. In a resulting military confrontation, 4 Azeri servicemen and 12 Armenian servicemen were killed, leaving heavy armour and wounded soldiers on the battlefield. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= Shootout continues on Armenia-Azerbaijan contact-line since morning, death toll rises |url=http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=45150 |work= |publisher=AzeriPress Agency (APA) |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-07 ]

International reaction

flag|Finland - Finnish foreign minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ilkka Kanerva, urged everyone concerned to “exercise maximum restraint, and observe the terms of the ceasefire".

flag|US - State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters that the US was concerned about the incident, which only served to underline the need for a negotiated settlement. [ [http://www.iwpr.net/?p=crs&s=f&o=343239&apc_state=henh Mutual Recriminations After Karabakh Clash] IPWR, March 7, 2008]

flag|Russia - A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia is seriously concerned about the military clashes in the northwest Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan. It said the clashes would by no means be allowed to escalate into large-scale combat and spill over into neighboring regions. [ [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/06/content_7729725.htm Russia calls for peace in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region] xinhuanet March 6, 2008]

OSCE Minsk Group - French, Russian and U.S. co-chairs said the conflicting parties should “restore confidence along the Line of Contact and desist from any further confrontations, escalation of violence or warmongering rhetoric.” They also called on Baku and Yerevan to “redouble their efforts to endorse the Basic Principles for the peaceful resolution of the conflict presented to the sides on the margins of the Madrid OSCE Ministerial in November 2007, and to begin as soon as possible the process of drafting a peace agreement on this basis.” [ [http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/03/5A586E2B-8135-4C95-9F63-0C78C5FF589F.ASP Armenia, Azerbaijan Urged To Honor Karabakh Truce] Armenianliberty.org, accessed March 8, 2008]

Aftermath

Azerbaijani side announced the names of 4 killed servicemencite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=12 Armenian soldiers killed, 15 wounded in clash |url=http://today.az/news/society/43529.html |work= |publisher=Day.Az |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-07 ] ru icon cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Азербайджанская армия уничтожила 12 армянских солдат и ранила 15, потеряв 4 военнослужащих |url=http://www.day.az/news/politics/110358.html |work= |publisher=Day.Az |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-07 ]
* Tusayev, Nemat Habibulla oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Zagatala region enlistment office in 2007
* Gasimov Yusif Oruj oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Sheki region enlistment office in 2007
* Ismayilov, Bahruz Arzu oglu, born in 1988, recruited by Sheki enlistment office in 2006
* Safarov, Jeyhun Bahaddin oglu, born in 1978, recruited by Khatai enlistment office in 1996RE

March 7, 2008 - Nagorno-Karabakh's Defacto news agency reports a concentration Azerbaijani troops at the contact line where the prior ceasefire violation occurred. [ [http://www.defacto.am/index.php?OP=71397261 CONCENTRATION OF AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORMATIONS OBSERVED ON CONTACT LINE] Defacto.am March 7, 2008]

March 8-9, 2008 - There was an exchange of gunfire at the contact line near Agdam. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said two Azerbaijani civilians were killed and two wounded in the shooting overnight on March 8, in the Agdam region. Sabiroglu claimed that additional small arms gunfire on March 9 claimed killing one Azerbaijani soldier and injuring another. He also claimed that an Armenian soldier was also killed which Nagorno-Karabakh's defense minister, Lt. Col. Senor Asratian, denied. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/10/europe/EU-GEN-Armenia-Azerbaijan.php 4 killed in Nagorno-Karabakh region in skirmishes between Azerbaijanis, ethnic Armenians] International Herald Tribune Europe, March 10, 2008]

References

External links

* [http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=540946451436081148&q=karabakh&total=901&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=7 Violence breaks out in Nagorno-Karabakh] Russia Today TV via Google Video

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