Tensions have gripped between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday morning after clashes erupted in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Following the clashes with Azerbaijan, Armenia has declared martial law and has also mobilised its male population for war. The two sides clashed each other in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly ethnic Armenian region inside Azerbaijan which declared independence in 1991,
The Azeri forces have shelled the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, while Armenian forces continued to shell Azeri military and civilian positions in retaliation. Meanwhile, two Azerbaijani helicopters have also been shot down by the Armenian forces.
Turkey, one of the neighbours of Armenia, on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire and asked Armenia to end hostility towards Azerbaijan claiming that escalations could “throw the region into the fire”. Turkey, which has traditionally backed Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, also blamed Armenia for the tensions and called the country as ‘biggest obstacle to peace’.
As soon as Turkey extended its support to Azerbaijan, the eternal rental-state – Pakistan, which often shares a close affinity with Turkey and other Islamic countries in the Middle east, too jumped into the scene to blame Armenia for hostility towards Azerbaijan.
Many social media trolls from Pakistan descended on Twitter to spread their hatred against Armenia.
One Islamist troll from Pakistan, expressing his support to Azerbaijan said Pakistan does not recognize Armenia as a state.
Another troll Amir Tsarfati, who perhaps never heard the name of Azerbaijan before, vowed to stand by fellow Muslims in Azerbaijan. He said the war between two countries would represent a war between Christianity and Islam on European soil.
Another faceless Pakistani troll, sharing the flags of Azerbaijan, Turkey and terrorist-state of Pakistan, said his country stood with Azerbaijan in this dangerous situation. The troll ‘CyBerKniGhT’ also warned Armenia never to miscalculate the strength of the crescent.
Various other Pakistani trolls, angered over Armenia’s response to clashes, said that Azerbaijan was not alone in the war and urged fellow Pakistanis to support the Islamic country.
Azeem Ali, expressing his jingoism on internet, said that he would volunteer to fight alongside Azerbaijan military in the war.
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region began after the breakdown of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and lasted till 1994, with both Armenia and Azerbaijan claiming this strategic territory. In 1994, a referendum was held in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was boycotted by Azerbaijan, where the people chose independence over joining either of the two countries.
Over the years, the conflict between ethnic Armenians and ethnic Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh has increased with Armenia and Azerbaijan accusing each other of attempting to carry out ethnic cleansing. The situation became tense when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, an administrative unit, decided to vote to join Armenia given its large Armenian population.
In May 1994, Russia mediated a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, however the conflict has continued till today, with instances of ceasefire violations and violence instigated from both sides.
The current tensions erupted at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan after Azerbaijan moved troops into the area, close to its border with Georgia. In July this year, heavy clashes had erupted along the border killing at least 17 troops from both sides.
