(25 Nov 2020) Ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh expressed their disappointment on Wednesday after the Kalbajar district was turned over to Azerbaijan, following a cease-fire agreement that ended six weeks of heavy fighting over the separatist region.
Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh's capital and neighbouring districts said they worried about their safety after Armenia handed over control of the second territory it holds outside Nagorno-Karabakh's borders to Azerbaijan.
Kalbajar district, also known as Karvachar in Armenian, was supposed to be turned over on 15 Nov, but Azerbaijan granted the delay requested by Armenia "taking into account the worsening weather conditions and the difficult mountainous terrain."
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the end of the separatist war.
That war left not only Nagorno-Karabakh itself but substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.
Heavy fighting that flared up on Sept. 27 marked the biggest escalation of the decades-old conflict between the two ex-Soviet nations in over a quarter-century, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of people.
The truce last week halted the violence after several failed attempts to establish a lasting cease-fire.
It was celebrated as a victory in Azerbaijan, but sparked mass protests in Armenia, with thousands regularly taking to the streets to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister.
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