Russian troops start to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh

Subject: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

Russian peacekeepers have started withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh following the territory’s recapture by Azerbaijan from Armenian separatists.
The withdrawal follows a 2020 Moscow-brokered ceasefire between Azerbaijan (Baku) and Armenia (Yerevan).

About the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh by Armenians) is a mountainous region in the Caucasus, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.
It has an unrecognised government with close ties to Armenia.
The conflict started in the late 1980s when the region declared independence from Azerbaijan amid the Soviet Union’s collapse.
A war ensued, ending in a 1994 ceasefire with Nagorno-Karabakh and some surrounding areas under Armenian control.
Despite the ceasefire, violations were frequent, and peace negotiations often failed.
In 2020, Azerbaijan regained significant territory in the Second Karabakh War.
A peace deal was brokered by Russia in 2020, leading to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region.

Azerbaijan:

A country located in Asia, bordered by Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran, with the Caspian Sea to the east.
Its landscape features the Caucasus Mountains covering much of the north and west.
Baku is the capital city.
The nation is rich in oil and natural gas resources. A notable attraction is Yanar Dag, where natural gas seepages have fueled a continuous fire for over 65 years, earning Azerbaijan the nickname “The Land of Fire.”

Armenia:

A landlocked country in the Caucasus with Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, and Azerbaijan to the east.
Capital: Yerevan.
Armenia is a mountainous country.
Highest Peak: Mount Ararat.

Source: TH