Two Years Later, Azerbaijan Remembers April War

Two years ago massive artillery bombardments broke the silence of the night, initiating what was later dubbed the April War or Four Day War – an unprecedented escalation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since a ceasefire was implemented in 1994.

After Armenia’s provocations, namely shelling of the Azerbaijani villages and civilian settlements, Azerbaijan went on the attack to regain control of territories it had lost during the 1992-94 war, which broke out shortly after both countries became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. From April 1 through April 4, 2016, clashes escalated and resulted in the deaths of hundreds and put the South Caucasus region on edge once again.

Hostilities continued until April 5, when both sides announced a ceasefire. As a result of the Four Day War, Azerbaijan retook two strategic hills, a village, and a total of about 2,000 hectares (approximately 5,000 acres) of land.

Lieutenant-Colonel Elshan Garayev, 44, lost his leg while taking part in the “Leletepe” mission, which was aimed at the recapture of the strategic hill of the same name.

“I wanted to contribute to the fight over our lands, even if it’s a small territory, and I praise God for becoming one of those who tasted the feeling of victory,” Garayev said soon after the Four Day War finished.

Meanwhile, tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan continue, even though 24 years have passed since the war between the two countries was halted with a ceasefire agreement known as the Bishkek protocol.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict still remains the most vital policy issue for Azerbaijanis. Following the research carried out by the American polling company Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates, 41.3 percent of a sample of 1,000 Azerbaijanis surveyed said the situation over Nagorno-Karabakh region is of the greatest concern for them.

“It remains a highly emotive issue that pervades all aspects of politics and government in ways many observers in the West simply don’t understand,” said George Birnbaum, Executive Director of Arthur J. Finkelstein & Associates.

An Unfinished War

The full-scale war between the two South Caucasus’ states, which lasted from 1992 to 1994, has spanned Azerbaijan’s southwestern region of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, also belonging to Azerbaijan. By that time the Soviet Union collapsed, the South Caucasus was already embroiled in several territorial and ethnic conflicts, including civil wars in Georgia’s two regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Armenian and Azerbaijani casualties are reported to be over 35,000, with most on the Azerbaijani side.

At the same time, officials in Yerevan arranged an “ethnic cleansing” of Azerbaijani lands. Armenia’s armed forces seized 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory and displaced million ethnic Azerbaijanis, while nearly 4,000 went missing.

Hasrat Khalilova, an Azerbaijani refugee lost her family when the Armenian armed forces attacked her hometown, Khojaly, killing its 613 residents.

“The hostilities began suddenly, and we were forced to flee, leaving everything,” Hasrat remembers.

“With my granddaughter on my back, I walked to the city of Agdam. I remember that cold night, when we were wandering through the forest, falling into the deep snow. A lot of people were killed there, but you would have seen those who survived. Many of them got a heart attack or various injuries, while many remained in captivity, and we still know nothing about them.”

The United Nation’s Security Council tabled four resolutions in 1993, each addressing successive territorial encroachments by Armenia into Azerbaijani lands and called for Armenia to withdraw its troops from them.

After the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts by Armenia, the ceasefire agreement was inked in 1994 and the OSCE Minsk Group was created to outline the peaceful settlement process, bringing together Russia, the U.S. and France to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Officials in Yerevan still ignore international requirements, while their position caused the mass exodus of million Azerbaijani people as well as thousands of casualties. The people residing nearby the line of contact live under the constant threat of war.

Ali Hasanov, an aide to the president of Azerbaijan, believes that there can be a serious conflict at any given time and this conflict can turn into a major war.

“Armenians are not done only with the occupied lands,” he said in an interview with Turkey’s TRT World television earlier this month. “They [continue] shelling the Azerbaijani villages and civilian settlements from the frontline [positions] and the heights they have occupied.”