After Lightning Offensive, Azerbaijan Looks to Cement Hold Over Disputed Region

Azerbaijani officials in talks with ethnic Armenians from Karabakh, as Armenia accuses Russian peacekeepers of failing to fulfill their mandate.

A still image from a video released by the Armenian Defense Ministry shows what is said to be Azerbaijani tanks and service members during an attack in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in this still image from footage released on Sept. 27, 2020. Defense Ministry of Armenia/Handout via Reuters

Azerbaijan sought to cement its grip on the Karabakh region a day after launching a lightning offensive aimed at disarming ethnic Armenian separatists.

“Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, and the whole world recognizes this, including the Armenian leadership,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an evening address on Sept. 20.