What you should know about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

What is going on?

Wide-scale fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenian armed forces earlier this week. The nations, both former Soviet Union republics, have had long-standing territorial conflicts that goes back to the late 1980s.

Nearly 100 people including civilians have been killed as the fight continues in the region (located between Armenia and Azerbaijan).

What’s behind the conflict?

The conflict goes back to the 1980s till early 1990s when the Karabakh Armenians voted to leave Soviet Azerbaijan to be part of Soviet Armenia - sparking a war which only stopped with a Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994.

Since then, the region has mostly been governed by separatists, run by ethnic Armenians and backed by the Armenian government.

Clashes in the region continue, with the last serious flare up in 2016.

Although Nagorno-Karabakh was recognised as part of Azerbaijan, its population is majority Armenian.

Armenia is made up of majority Christian population while oil-rich Azerbaijan is majority Muslim.

Why does it matter?

The conflict raised concerns about the stability of the South Caucasus region. This area serves as an important region for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets.

The United Nations Security Council has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately halt the fighting and resume talks without preconditions as the conflict threatens to escalate beyond the region.

However, leaders from both sides have brushed off the suggestion of peace talks, accusing each other of obstructing negotiations.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan’s ally Turkey of shooting down one of its warplanes, killing the pilot. Both Turkey and Azerbaijan denied it.

Russia, which has a military base in Armenia, has urged the two sides to cease fire and show restraint.

What is Malaysia’s stand?

Malaysia joins the calls by the international community for Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise maximum restraint and take concrete steps to de-escalate the tension between the two.

In a statement by Wisma Putra on Tuesday, Malaysia urges both parties to give primacy to resolving the conflict amicably through dialogue and diplomacy, and supports all efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement based on international law, including the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.