WATCH: Azerbaijani Army Rolls Into Agdam, A Day After Armenians Move Out
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says his troops have taken control of the first of three districts bordering Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a Russian-brokered peace agreement that ended a six-week war with Armenian forces over the breakaway region.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on November 20 that its units entered the Agdam district, one of three ringing Nagorno-Karabakh that are to be handed over to Azerbaijan after nearly three decades under Armenian control.
Crowds of people carrying national flags gathered in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to celebrate the handover of Agdam as Aliyev announced "major" plans for the district.
The chief of staff of the Russian peacekeeping task force in Nagorno-Karabakh said the handover operation was carried out without incident.
Azerbaijan Shows Journalists Recaptured Region Near Nagorno-Karabakh
1/13An Azerbaijani police officer stands near an abandoned Armenian artillery position in Fuzuli on November 18.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
2/13This Armenian homemade 200-millimeter gun was found in an abandoned trench.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
3/13Piles of homemade 200-millimeter shells were left behind by ethnic Armenian forces.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
6/13A destroyed Armenian tank stands at the side of a road in the Fuzuli district of Azerbaijan.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
7/13Journalists are shown an abandoned Armenian tank.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
8/13A phosphorus shell that Azerbaijani authorities say was left behind by ethnic Armenian forces lies cordoned off from onlookers.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
9/13Azerbaijani mine-clearance officers prepare to detonate unexploded munitions.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
10/13Phosphorus ammunitions that Azerbaijani authorities say were left behind by ethnic Armenian armed forces are destroyed.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
11/13An abandoned tank in Azerbaijan's Fuzuli district
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
12/13An Azerbaijani soldier sits inside a military vehicle in the recaptured city of Fuzuli.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
13/13An Azerbaijan flag is draped over the ruins of a destroyed military recruitment office in the recaptured city of Fuzuli on November 18.
An RFE/RL photo correspondent was part of a group of journalists escorted into Azerbaijan's Fuzuli region by government minders. The territory was recently seized back from ethnic Armenian forces after a war over the regions in and around Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in September.
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As Azerbaijani troops moved into Agdam a day after columns of Armenian soldiers and tanks rolled out of the territory, Armenian Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan was fired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Tonoyan, who had held the position since May 2018, was replaced by Vagharshak Harutunian.
Armenian villagers in Agdam were given just days to leave their homes, scrambling to pack their belongings into vehicles and emptying homes before setting structures on fire.
Scorched Earth: Ethnic Armenians Destroy Homes, Infrastructure Before Fleeing Azerbaijani Regions
1/18Residents watch houses smolder in Charektar village, known in Azeri as Caraktar, in the district of Karvachar (Kalbacar in Azeri). The mountainous district in Azerbaijan to the west of Nagorno-Karabakh is being vacated by Armenians and returned to Baku’s control under a Russian-brokered truce.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
2/18An Armenian church worker carries a religious pennant out of the Dadivank monastery in the district of Karvachar/Kalbacar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
3/18Smoke from a burning house drifts over a traffic jam as ethnic Armenians flee Karvachar/Kalbacar – which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Ethnic Armenians point to ancient Christian monuments in the area that mark their historic ties to the land.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
4/18A burnt-out gas station near the Dadivank monastery in the district of Karvachar/Kalbacar. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced to flee their homes in districts around Nagorno-Karabakh when Yerevan-backed Armenian separatists seized control of the territory during the early 1990s.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
5/18Ethnic Armenian soldiers topple a telephone pole in the village of Knaravan – a settlement recently built by ethnic Armenians in the Karvachar/Kalbacar district near Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
6/18An ethnic Armenian man carries two geese as he packs up the contents of his home in the village of Charektar/Caraktar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
7/18A house burns into the night in the district of Karvachar/Kalbacar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
8/18A home smolders in Charektar/Caraktar village.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
9/18Bells removed from Dadivank monastery await transport to Armenia as preparations are made for ethnic Armenians to transfer control of the Karvachar/Kalbacar district back to Azerbaijan.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
10/18Smoke rises from buildings set ablaze in the Karvachar/Kalbacar district of Azerbaijan as ethnic Armenians leave the area.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
11/18A man removes wiring from a telephone pole in the village of Yekhetnut in the district of Karvachar/Kalbacar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
12/18A man walks past a burning house in Charektar/Caraktar village.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
13/18An electrical substation in Karvachar/Kalbacar after key components were removed.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
14/18Garo Dadevusian (right) salvages the tin roof from his house in Karvachar/Kalbacar before setting the building ablaze.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
15/18A woman carries a Christian painting out of her home before fleeing Karvachar/Kalbacar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
16/18Ethnic Armenians in a truck pass houses destroyed in the recently built ethnic-Armenian settlement of Knaravan before control of the Karvachar/Kalbacar district is returned to Azerbaijan.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
17/18A dog in front of a burnt-out school building in Charektar/Caraktar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
18/18An ethnic Armenian couple embraces while watching their home burn in Charektar/Caraktar.
Many ethnic Armenians who are fleeing the regions around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have opted to destroy their homes after removing as much as they can carry. The destruction comes ahead of a scheduled handover to Azerbaijan of territory seized by Armenians during a war in the early 1990s.
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It is the latest exodus of Armenians as Azerbaijan reasserts control over its former territories under the peace deal brokered by Moscow that ended six weeks of intense fighting between the two South Caucasus neighbors.
The November 10 accord allows Azerbaijan to keep a sizable chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh captured during fighting as well as all areas ringing the mountainous enclave that had been under Armenian control.
In addition to Agdam, located east of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenians must leave the western districts of Kalbacar on November 25 and Lachin by December 1. Baku captured four other districts during the conflict.
Under the deal, around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers will be deployed to maintain security in Nagorno-Karabakh, but critical final-status issues over the territory remain uncertain. Russian peacekeepers are also guarding the strategic Lachin Corridor, the sole road linking the region and Armenia.
Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), on November 20 said 188 servicemen as well as military hardware had been deployed to reinforce Russian border guards in Armenia.
The reinforcements are to be dispatched to the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Bortnikov told Russian President Vladimir Putin at a conference via video link, adding that the deployment was made at the request of Armenia.
Russia's Border Guard Service is a branch of the FSB. Russian border guards are present in Armenia under the terms of a 1992 treaty between the two countries.
Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule.
They have been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and ethnic Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
Fighting broke out again in and around Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians on both sides over the ensuing weeks. Azerbaijan has not provided a figure for its military casualties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the peace accord was signed on November 10 that total fatalities that include civilians had surpassed 4,000 people.
The accord triggered a wave of fury in Armenia, where thousands of protesters took to the streets and stormed government buildings in the capital, Yerevan, calling Pashinian a "traitor" and demanding his resignation.
Pashinian has also dismissed his foreign minister during the turmoil, but has refused to cede to calls from protesters and opposition leaders to hand in his own resignation.
Harutunian, who is Pashinian's defense adviser, previously served as defense minister from 1999-2000.
Despite Tonoyan's removal, opposition activists seeking Pashinian's resignation again blocked several streets in downtown Yerevan on November 20, chanting: "Nikol is a traitor! Nikol must go!"
Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians were displaced in the fighting, putting economic, social, and political pressure on Armenia and authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh.
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