Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh extended on Wednesday the decade-long martial law in the Armenian-populated disputed enclave for another year.
A statement from the office of the president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkady Ghukasian, provided no explanation for the move.
The Karabakh Armenian leadership imposed martial law in 1992 shortly after the outbreak of the war with Azerbaijan. It has been prolonged on an annual basis since the end of hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in May 1994. Sporadic skirmishes periodically disrupt calm along a 150-kilometer line of contact east and north of Karabakh which separates the two armies.
A lack of substantial progress in last year’s internationally sponsored peace talks has raised fears of renewed fighting for the region which broke away from Azerbaijani rule in the late 1980s.
The Azerbaijani government has repeatedly threatened to win back Karabakh by force unless the international community ensures it return under Baku’s control. Officials in Armenia and Karabakh have dismissed the threats.
A statement from the office of the president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkady Ghukasian, provided no explanation for the move.
The Karabakh Armenian leadership imposed martial law in 1992 shortly after the outbreak of the war with Azerbaijan. It has been prolonged on an annual basis since the end of hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in May 1994. Sporadic skirmishes periodically disrupt calm along a 150-kilometer line of contact east and north of Karabakh which separates the two armies.
A lack of substantial progress in last year’s internationally sponsored peace talks has raised fears of renewed fighting for the region which broke away from Azerbaijani rule in the late 1980s.
The Azerbaijani government has repeatedly threatened to win back Karabakh by force unless the international community ensures it return under Baku’s control. Officials in Armenia and Karabakh have dismissed the threats.