AsiaDiplomacyEuropeFeaturesGlobal IssuesHistoricalMiddle EastPoliticsRussiaSecurityWorld
Explainer: Why are Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting?
Tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh region cause one of Europe’s ‘frozen conflicts’ to erupt
What is happening?
Early on Sunday, Armenia announced it was declaring martial law, mobilising its army and ordering civilians to shelter.
- Michael Safi
- The Irish Times
It claimed its neighbour Azerbaijan had launched a military operation inside a disputed region called Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan said it attacked only in response to Armenian shelling.
Nagorno-Karabakh is recognised internationally as Azerbaijan’s territory but has a mostly Armenian population who have resisted Azerbaijani rule for more than a century.
In 1991 the region declared independence and…