Nov 17, 2020 3:54 PM EDT
STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh (AP) Joyous scenes of smiles and hugs could be seen Tuesday on the main square of Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, as ethnic Armenians returned to their homeland a week after a cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan halted the fighting that had raged over the separatist region for more than six weeks.
The Moscow-brokered truce called for territorial concessions in favor of Azerbaijan and left many Armenians bitter, but allowed those who fled from the violence to return to their homes.
“I feel great because I’m coming back to my sons,” said None Agasyan, whose two sons were injured during the fighting.
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On Sept. 27, long-standing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the jurisdiction of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory (often referred to as the Republic of Artsakh) erupted into war. With the conflict garnering international attention, the United States, among other countries, has entered the region to help broker a ceasefire.
Truces, first brokered by Russia and then France, have been broken with both sides accusing each other of violating them. Armenia has had 874 military personnel deaths and 37 civilian deaths at the time of writing as reported by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Minister. Azerbaijan has reported 61 civilian deaths but has not yet reported any military deaths.
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