YEREVAN, ARMENIA
The Armenian parliament on Wednesday lifted the state of war declared in the aftermath of soaring tensions with neighbor Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The development comes as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called snap elections in the country after months of anti-government protests sparked by his handling of last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
On Sept. 27, 2020, Pashinyan declared war with Azerbaijan.
Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
When new clashes erupted in September last year, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation.
The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement last November to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.
