Former Karabakh separatist commander becomes Armenian defence minister's advisor

Former commander of Karabakh separatist groups Kamo Vardanyan has been appointed advisor to Armenian Defence Minister Suren Papikyan.

Vardanyan confirmed the news himself, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenia's Zhoghovourd newspaper.

Vardanyan was appointed head of the Karabakh separatist groups a year following the 44-day second Karabakh war. During 2023, he led these groups in local anti-terrorist operations conducted by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. After these operations, Vardanyan fled to Armenia.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been at odds over the Karabakh region. Armenia launched a military campaign against Azerbaijan that lasted until a ceasefire deal was reached in 1994. As a result, Armenia occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. Over 30,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed, and one million were expelled from those lands in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the decades-old conflict between the two countries spiraled after Armenia’s forces deployed in occupied Azerbaijani lands shelled military positions and civilian settlements of Azerbaijan. During counter-attack operations, Azerbaijani forces liberated over 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha. The war ended in a statement signed on November 10, 2020, under which Armenia returned the occupied Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan.

Shortly after the war, the Azerbaijani authorities voiced readiness and determination to launch negotiations with Armenia that would ultimately bring the long-awaited peace to the region.