by Can Mavioğlu, United World College Maastricht
6 December, 2020
Illustration by Sigrid Sköldberg
Today, 5th of October, 23:40:22 p.m., is the 8th day since the “conflict” between Azerbaijan and Armenia ignited over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. On the early morning of 27th September, the skirmish started in the borderline of the Nagorno-Karabakh. Both countries stated casualties for civilians and military. Armenia and Artsakh declared mobilization and martial principles, as well as Azerbaijan, who introduced martial principles and curfew within their country. Thorough mobilization followed Azerbaijan’s initial declaration on the 28th of September. Several legal actions have been taken by both governments.
a
The conflict over this region, including 7 other neighbour districts, had started with Soviet Russia’s decision of allocating the territory into Soviet Azerbaijan, way back in 1988. Subsequently, Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians demanded the reallocation of this region back into their territories, considering their majority of the population in that region. On 20th February of that year, the Nagorno-Karabakh War had begun. After 6 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 1 day, the war had concluded with a ceasefire, on 12 May 1994, with the formation of the Republic of Artsakh, having the control over that region. The ceasefire principles have been violated several times in the past three decades, regardless, without being severely damaging. The most acute clashes ensued in the 2020 July clashes and 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes. However, the scale of the clashes has increased since Turkey’s support became more open to Azerbaijan, last week on the 27th, as their relation of Turkic countries.
a
The pandemic had a vital role in the escalation of the conflict since politicians of both countries failed to defuse the tension over the summer. Two days since the conflict has sparked, Turkey and the Syrian National Army are included in it and raise it on an international scale. Turkey’s appearance indicates its presence as benefiting from the non-fulfilment of international intervention to strive its authority on that region, in the Southern Couscous, whilst it’s notably increasing influence in the Arabic countries Syria and Libya, as well as the east Mediterranian. Turkish media sources fail to reflect on this foreign policy, for the reason that the censorship protocols on the opposition views against the government, where 47 journalists are imprisoned with charges of potential treason or manipulation, for the time being. On the other side, Russia is still keeping his stand as not intervening in the conflict although it has significant power over both countries. Whereas, the media sources can not sustain transparency on projecting the physical violation since both internal and external media organizations have biased perspectives on the conflict.
a
Regardless of what governments’ stand or societies’ nationalist biases, civilians from both countries are getting affected by this conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The civilians, who could potentially be us or any of our family members, are the ones getting damaged physically and emotionally. And even though this massacre is defined as “conflict” from governments’ perspective, this is a violation of societal values in the eyes of individuals who are experiencing the “conflict” in the frontline of war. This is a war against being humane; a war where the “leaders” are neglecting human life, considering people as nothing more than numbers. A war where words get lost.
