2016年亚美尼亚–阿塞拜疆冲突

背景

纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫共和国事实上独立于阿塞拜疆，但其领土于国际上多承认为阿塞拜疆的一部分。自1994年纳戈尔诺-卡拉巴赫战争结束后，基于比什凯克协议的停火生效，而此次冲突为自1994年来违反该协议最严重之行为。

The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, also known as the Four-Day War, April War, or April clashes, began along the former Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on 1 April 2016 with the Artsakh Defence Army, backed by the Armenian Armed Forces, on one side and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the other.

The clashes occurred in a region that is disputed between the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region includes the former Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and the surrounding districts of Azerbaijan under the control of Armenian forces at the time. Azerbaijan claimed to have started a military operation to prevent purported continuous Armenian shelling of civilian areas in Azerbaijan. However, there was no evidence of Armenian shelling. Until the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the clashes were the worst since the 1994 ceasefire agreement signed by Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

A ceasefire was reached on 5 April between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow. The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities also welcomed the oral agreement. After the agreement, both sides accused each other of violations. Azerbaijan claimed to have regained 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of land, while Armenian officials suggested a loss of 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi) of land of no strategic importance. However, the International Crisis Group reported that those heights were of strategic importance.

Officially, Baku reported the loss of 31 servicemen without publishing their names. Armenian sources claimed much higher numbers varying between 300 and 500. The Ministry of Defence of Armenia reported the names of 92 military and civilian casualties, in total. The US State Department estimated that a total of 350 people, both military and civilian, had died.……

Background

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War ended with a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties that came into effect on 12 May 1994. Violations of the ceasefire occurred periodically in the following years, with notable escalations in 2008 and 2010, but incidents especially increased since 2014. According to the International Crisis Group, there were 60 deaths total, both military and civilian, in 2015 alone because of breaches of the ceasefire. The April 2016 clashes were the most serious breach of the 1994 ceasefire until 2020.

Combat operations

The fighting was focused mainly on the front line with a length of 257 km. Each side blamed the other for the outbreak of clashes around the towns of Martakert, Tartar, Aghdam, Martuni, and Fuzuli. According to Armenian sources, on the night of 1 April and early morning of 2 April, the Azerbaijani side launched large-scale attacks along the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan. On 2 April, a 12-year-old Armenian boy was killed as a result of missile artillery attack from a BM-21 Grad near the border with Martuni.……

Aftermath

Casualty estimates

According to the US State Department, Azerbaijan "took a huge number of casualties, including comparatively", although the number was not specified. Overall, a senior member of the US State Department estimated 350 casualties on both sides, including civilians.

Official estimates of the warring parties are far apart from each other. According to official statements of the involved sides, 91 Armenian and 31 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during the clashes, and several pieces of military equipment from both sides were destroyed.……

Analysis

There has been no conclusive assessment on the outcome of the clashes.……

International reactions

Supranational bodies

EU – High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini urged the parties "to stop the fighting immediately and observe the ceasefire".

UN – Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanded all sides involved in the conflict to immediately cease all armed hostilities and observe the terms of ceasefire.

EU – European Parliament. In April 2016 a debate on the escalation of tension on the Nagorno Karabakh - Azerbaijan borders took place in the European Parliament.……

OSCE Minsk Group and co-chair countries

OSCE Minsk Group – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group expressed "grave concern over the reported large-scale ceasefire violations that are taking place along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone" and strongly condemned "the use of force and regret the senseless loss of life, including civilians".……