Ceasefire Evaporates Within Hours As Azerbaijan Civilians Shelled

In an interview with Turkish broadcaster Haberturk, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev asserted, “Armenia is trying to attack and take control of our pipelines … I can say that the outcome will be severe for them.”

International reaction

Turkey – Reuters also reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, aligned with Azerbaijan, told Russian President Vladimir Putin he wanted a permanent solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh occupation. 

Russia – An Armenian ally whose officials brokered the ceasefire, Russia has offered to take up front-line observer positions. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a plan for Azerbaijan to be given control of certain areas around Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, should be brought to the negotiating table.

U.S.A. –  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had tweeted that both countries must “implement their commitments” to a ceasefire and stop targeting civilian areas. Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden, while critical of the Trump administration as election day nears, issued a statement on Wednesday stating, “It must make clear to Armenia that regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be occupied indefinitely and that credible negotiations on a lasting resolution of the conflict must commence immediately once a ceasefire is concluded.”

Israel – A former researcher and policy analyst for the Government of Israel told JNS, “Azerbaijan’s long-term open friendship with Israel has helped other Muslim-majority states establish open cooperation with Israel and even contributed to the current blossoming of ties between Israel and several Muslim-majority states, like the UAE.”

Brenda Shaffer, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, explained that “Israel and Azerbaijan maintain a strategic alliance. It is not just about arms sales or oil, but very deep strategic cooperation.” Shaffer has written a number of books on identity and culture in the Caucasus. She noted that “Azerbaijan, despite bordering Iran, was not afraid to openly cooperate with Israel over the years. This showed other Muslim majority states that they can, without worrying about repercussions from Iran or other states, establish open cooperation with Israel.”  

Canada – The strategic alliance described by Shaffer – and the 2600 years of model co-existence between Azeris and the Mountain Jews – has still not spurred Jewish authorities in Canada to act to help the 30,000 Jews in Azerbaijan.

Despite a promise from CIJA on October 6, TheJ.ca has not received any communication from the World Jewish Congress to address how the Jews of Canada can assist their brethren in need. A direct call to their media inquiry line before deadline hit the dead-end of a full voicemail box.  Representative of B’nai Brith said they are concerned about the humanitarian crisis facing the Jewish citizens of Azerbaijan, and intend to relate their position to TheJ.ca in due course.