00:00 The integration talks between Azerbaijani officials and the delegation representing
00:04 Armenian separatists have come to an end.
00:07 The discussions were part of a peace agreement which was clinched yesterday and was mediated
00:13 by Russian peacekeepers.
00:15 It came after Azerbaijan launched a 24-hour military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh this
00:21 week.
00:22 For more on this story, we can go across to Lisa Kamenov standing by in Yerevan.
00:27 Lisa, good afternoon.
00:29 What's the situation at the moment?
00:31 Good afternoon, Jelano.
00:35 So as you just mentioned, the negotiations between the Azerbaijani representatives and
00:40 the Armenian representatives in the Azerbaijani city of Yerevan have come to an end.
00:47 But as they've come to an end, we are hearing from local media that there is total panic
00:52 at the moment in the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, as reported shots have been heard
00:59 in the city centre and a lot of civilians are being urged by the local authorities to
01:04 find shelter.
01:05 Now there is, it is important to remember the vital infrastructure has been damaged
01:11 in the last two days.
01:12 So there is no electricity and there is very weak internet and signal.
01:16 So the images we are getting are coming only from locals or from local journalists who
01:21 might be cut off within the coming hours.
01:24 But from what we're understanding at the moment is that the ceasefire agreement, which was
01:28 mediated on Wednesday, has not been respected and Azeri troops are firing in the city centre
01:35 of Stepanakert.
01:36 Now the evacuations have continued.
01:40 In the last few days they've managed to evacuate 10,000 civilians and relocate them in different
01:46 villages around the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
01:50 But a lot remain stuck in that village.
01:53 The latest report we have is from a village of 20,000 civilians which is surrounded by
01:59 Azeri troops and they have no means of getting evacuated and there is no way for anyone,
02:04 any help to reach them, not even the Russian peacekeepers who are present on the ground.
02:09 So there is a total panic.
02:11 The international community is also following very closely and we have the UN Security Council
02:17 who is meant to hold an emergency meeting later tonight.
02:20 Lisa, I just want to describe some images while you were speaking there.
02:24 We were playing images of that round table that was held.
02:28 All the men, the representatives, the Armenian separatists as well as officials from Azerbaijan
02:33 who were on that table.
02:34 No smiles, no handshakes, very grim looking and serious.
02:38 But let's talk about what's happening in Yerevan because Yerevan officials from Armenia were
02:45 not part of the discussions today.
02:47 They did not take part in those ceasefire discussions yesterday with Russian peacekeepers.
02:53 Nevertheless, there is still this anger where you are in Yerevan towards the government
02:59 there.
03:01 Yes, as you said, there is a lot of anger and frustration amongst the people in Yerevan.
03:08 A lot of them are actually originated from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, have either recently
03:14 come to Yerevan or moved earlier and they are very angry at Prime Minister Pashinyan's
03:20 passiveness and unwillingness to really get involved in the ceasefire agreement and notably
03:26 to actually get involved in the negotiations with the Azerbaijani representatives.
03:31 So as you said, yesterday and the day before there were some severe clashes with police,
03:36 a lot of protests happening on Yerevan's main square, Republic Square, outside the government
03:41 offices, and it's mostly just frustration and anger because a lot of people are saying
03:47 the region has been in conflict three times now in the last three years.
03:51 If you remember in 2020, then following in December 2022 and now again we have clashes
04:00 happening there.
04:01 So there is a lot of frustration and a lot of calls from the opposition parties for Pashinyan
04:06 to step down because they feel that he is unfit to continue ruling.
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