11/27/2020 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – Azerbaijani troops have entered the first district (Aghdam) in Nagorno-Karabakh which was ceded to their country following a cease-fire with Armenia. Shortly after, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that Turkish troops will participate in the joint monitoring center alongside Russia to monitor the cease-fire for a period of one year.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the dissolvement of the Soviet Union. The international community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh has belonging to Azerbaijan, an ethnically Turkic and religiously Islamic country. However, Nagorno-Karabakh is ethnically Armenian and religiously Christian.
The way in which the current conflict was ignited and maintained, as well as how the ceasefire was dictated and implemented, bear haunting reminders of the Turkish-led Armenian genocide a century earlier. Together, Azerbaijan and Turkey have pursued a military conflict under terms of ethnic and religious nationalism. Armenians do not expect to be able to live in their homes under the rule of Azerbaijan, and fearing for their lives, have fled. They have also expressed concern for the welfare of their historic sites, particularly churches, left behind.
