In the early hours of 2 April 2016, people in the frontline villages of Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli and Jabrayil were woken by gunfire once again. This was not an ordinary exchange of shots: heavy weapons were firing along the whole front, and villages with civilians became targets. The «neither war nor peace» situation that had lasted since 1994, that is, 22 years, changed within a few days. This lesson explains the years when the ceasefire was fragile and the April battles that changed the picture of the front in four days.
«Neither war nor peace»: the years after the ceasefire
The ceasefire of 12 May 1994 stopped the bloodshed but did not resolve the conflict. The war's result was heavy: about 20 per cent of the country's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts (Kalbajar, Lachin, Gubadli, Zangilan, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Aghdam), stayed under occupation, and hundreds of thousands of people (about a million according to official data) became refugees and internally displaced persons. So the ceasefire was not a peace treaty, only a silence of the guns; the two armies stayed very close to each other. For the wider story see the earlier lessons on the restoration of independence and state-building.
Contact lineDefinition
The front line that after 1994 separated the Azerbaijani army from the occupying Armenian armed units; the ceasefire applied along this line.
The international community recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. In 1993 the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions, 822, 853, 874 and 884: 822 concerned the occupation of Kalbajar, 853 of Aghdam, and 884 of Zangilan and Gubadli, while 874 demanded respect for the ceasefire. All of them confirmed Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the occupying forces. The resolutions were not implemented for many years. On 14 March 2008 the UN General Assembly also adopted resolution 62/243, «The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan», which reaffirmed territorial integrity and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian forces. It was adopted by 39 votes (7 against, 100 abstentions); the three Minsk Group co-chair states voted against it, arguing that it could affect the negotiations.
The OSCE Minsk Group and the talks
The talks were run by the OSCE Minsk Group. It had been created in 1992, and from 1997 its three co-chairs, Russia, the USA and France, acted as mediators. The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia met many times, but each time they stopped at the same point. Azerbaijan demanded first the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories and the return of displaced people, and was ready to discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh within its territorial integrity. The Armenian side demanded that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the security of its Armenian population be settled first.
| Date | Event | Content and result |
|---|---|---|
| December 1996 | OSCE Lisbon summit | Three principles: the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan; the highest degree of self-rule for Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan; guaranteed security for it and its population. All member states except Armenia supported them. |
| November 2007 | The Madrid principles | The co-chairs presented updated proposals: withdrawal of Armenian forces from the surrounding districts, return of the displaced, security guarantees. No agreement was reached. |
| June 2011 | The Kazan meeting | A meeting of the presidents organised by Russian president D. Medvedev; no new document was signed. |
While the talks produced no result, Azerbaijan was preparing another option. In the new millennium years oil revenues strengthened the economy, which made it possible to equip the army, train professional personnel and modernise the armed forces. Read the economic side of these preparations in the lesson «New millennium, new leader: a new stage of development (2003–2020)».
Clashes on the front line (2008–2015)
The ceasefire regime was broken many times after 1994: sniper fire, mortar fire, attacks by sabotage groups and shelling of frontline villages became an everyday matter. More serious clashes took place in March 2008, in 2012 in the border zone and in August 2014. On 12 November 2014 the Azerbaijani Armed Forces shot down an Armenian Mi-24 military helicopter on the front line, one of the most widely discussed incidents of the ceasefire period. After each such incident the Minsk Group called on the sides to be calm, but no real step to end the occupation was taken.
- March 1992
The OSCE Minsk Group is created
- 1993
UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884
- 12 May 1994
The ceasefire takes effect
- December 1996
OSCE Lisbon summit: three principles
- 1997
Three Minsk Group co-chairs: Russia, the USA, France
- November 2007
The Madrid principles
- 14 March 2008
UN General Assembly resolution 62/243
- June 2011
The Kazan meeting
- August 2014
Serious clashes on the front line
- 12 November 2014
An Mi-24 helicopter is shot down
- 2 April 2016
The April battles begin
- 5 April 2016
The ceasefire is restored
- 16 May 2016
The Vienna meeting
- 20 June 2016
The St Petersburg meeting
The April battles (2–5 April 2016)
On the night of 1–2 April 2016, according to Azerbaijan, Armenian armed forces fired heavy artillery, mortars and large-calibre weapons along the whole front at Azerbaijani positions and at settlements in the directions of Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil and Goranboy. Civilians were killed and houses destroyed. Under the leadership of İlham Aliyev, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the army launched a counter-offensive on 2 April. The fighting lasted four days, from 2 to 5 April, which is why it is also called the «Four-Day War».
Each side blamed the other for the start of the fighting; Azerbaijan's official position and its textbooks describe it as an Armenian provocation and the army's step as a response and defensive measure. In the counter-offensive the Lalatepe height and the village of Jojug Marjanli were liberated in the southern part of the front, in the Jabrayil direction; according to official data about 2,000 hectares in all passed out of enemy control. Control over strategic heights gave the Azerbaijani army an advantage on the front line. Around midday on 5 April the ceasefire was restored through Russian mediation. Reports of losses differ: the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence announced 31 servicemen killed, while the Armenian side gave its own losses as about 90 people (servicemen and civilians); civilians died on both sides.
Interactive
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| UN resolutions unfulfilled, 22 years of fruitless talks | Tension on the front grew; the status quo became unsustainable |
| Heavy shelling of civilian settlements | The Azerbaijani army's counter-offensive on 2 April |
| Modernisation and training of the army | Liberation of Lalatepe and a village; control of heights |
| Russian mediation | The 5 April ceasefire; later the Vienna and St Petersburg meetings |
Results and significance
The first result was military: for the first time since 1994 the Azerbaijani army liberated a part of the occupied land. It showed the army's professionalism, its skill in using modern weapons and its high fighting spirit. The second was political: it became clear that the «status quo» was not eternal. The Minsk Group co-chairs and the UN Secretary-General called for a halt to the fire; on 16 May in Vienna and on 20 June in St Petersburg the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia met again with the co-chairs. The third was moral: society rallied around the army, and distinguished servicemen received state awards.
| Aspect | Clashes of 2008–2015 | The April battles (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Local, short exchanges | Along the whole front, 4 days |
| Result | No territory was liberated | Heights and a village were liberated |
| Political effect | Calls by the Minsk Group | Presidents' meetings in Vienna and St Petersburg |
| Person / body | Role |
|---|---|
| İlham Aliyev | President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief |
| Serzh Sargsyan | President of Armenia (2008–2018) |
| Minsk Group co-chairs | Russia, the USA and France (from 1997) |
Source: a night on the front line
After midnight heavy weapons opened fire along the whole length of the front line. Not only military positions but also villages where people lived came under fire: houses were destroyed and civilians were killed.
At dawn the Azerbaijani army began a response operation. Within a few days some strategic heights and settlements in the northern and southern directions of the front were taken out of enemy control. On the fourth day the fire was stopped through Russian mediation, but the liberated positions stayed under the control of the Azerbaijani army.
After this the heads of the two sides met twice with the participation of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Source tasks
Problem
1) Identify the event not named in the text, its date (year, month, days) and the sides.
2) Explain one political and one military-humanitarian cause of this event.
3) Write two results of the event that are not stated in the text.
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Solution
2) Political: Armenia did not carry out the 1993 UN Security Council resolutions and 22 years of talks produced no result, so the situation had to change. Military-humanitarian: the shelling of villages by Armenian forces with heavy weapons created the need to protect civilians and to respond. Marks: two causes with explanation — 1; without explanation — ⅔; one with explanation — ½; one without — ⅓.
3) Results not in the text: the Lalatepe height and the village of Jojug Marjanli were liberated; the army's strength and fighting spirit rose; the Vienna (16 May) and St Petersburg (20 June) meetings were held; it became clear that the «status quo» could change. Marks: two results — 1; one result — ½.
Exam-type tasks
Exam task: combination
Problem
Choose what relates to the April battles:
1. The fighting took place in April 2016
2. The Azerbaijani army liberated the Lalatepe height
3. The fighting ended with a ceasefire on 12 May
4. The fighting was conducted on the front line
5. The city of Shusha was liberated
A) 1, 2, 3 B) 2, 3, 5 C) 1, 2, 4 D) 3, 4, 5 E) 1, 3, 5
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Solution
Exam task: chronology
Problem
Put the events in chronological order:
1. The Lisbon summit
2. The April battles
3. UN Security Council resolution 822
4. An Mi-24 helicopter is shot down
A) 3, 1, 4, 2 B) 1, 3, 4, 2 C) 3, 1, 2, 4 D) 3, 4, 1, 2 E) 1, 3, 2, 4
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Solution
Exam task: «similar, different»
Problem
The April battles (2016) were similar to the August 2014 clashes and different from the war of 1991–1994. What is this feature?
A) taking place under a violated ceasefire regime
B) military action on the front line
C) adoption of UN Security Council resolutions
D) Azerbaijan's loss of territory
E) creation of the Minsk Group
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Solution
So the ceasefire years did not bring peace, but they made Azerbaijan stronger, and the April battles showed this on the front. The next step came in 2020: see the lesson «The Great Victory: the Tovuz battles and the Patriotic War (2020)».
Remember
- The ceasefire of 12 May 1994 was not a peace treaty; about 20 per cent of the territory stayed occupied and UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 (1993) were not implemented.
- The talks were run by the OSCE Minsk Group (1992; from 1997 co-chairs Russia, the USA, France); the Lisbon summit (1996) put forward three principles.
- Clashes on the front line grew in 2008–2015; an Mi-24 helicopter was shot down on 12 November 2014.
- The April battles (Four-Day War), 2–5 April 2016: in response to Armenian fire the Azerbaijani army counter-attacked and the Lalatepe height was liberated.
- After the 5 April ceasefire the presidents met in Vienna on 16 May and in St Petersburg on 20 June; 2016 showed that the «status quo» could change.