a turning point after weeks of war in Nagorno-Karabakh

A turning point after weeks of war in Nagorno-Karabakh

A deal brokered by Russia has ended weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, leaving Armenians to pack up their houses as they retreat while Azerbaijanis plan a joyful return to long-lost lands.
For Armenians forced to flee, the outcome is a tragedy. Many appeared determined to make resettling the area as difficult as possible, burning homes, destroying infrastructure and disassembling restaurants and gas stations. In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, police officers in balaclavas detained scores of protesters who accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of treason for acceding to the peace deal.
For at least the next five years, nearly 2,000 Russian forces will patrol the line between Azerbaijani- and Armenian-controlled regions, in a deal that reasserted Russian influence in the formerly Soviet southern Caucasus.
By the numbers: Since Sept. 27, at least 2,317 Armenian soldiers have died in the conflict. Azerbaijan has not released a death toll.

Quote: “How can I burn this?” said Ashot Khanesyan, a 53-year-old Armenian, referring to the home he had built and was about to desert in the town of Kelbajar. He said his neighbors had urged him to destroy the house but “my conscience won’t let me.”

16-XI-20, nytimes