Restrictions on the Internet begin to be lifted

The restrictions will remain in the former frontline areas and newly re-acquired regions.

Restrictions on the Internet will be lifted in Azerbaijan on November 12.

Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade announced this on his personal Facebook account. He also thanked the millions of Azerbaijani Internet users for their understanding of the restrictions on Internet access throughout the past month and a half.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies imposed restrictions on internet access in the country from September 27, 2020 onwards.

On September 27, military operations began in Karabakh and surrounding areas. A day later, by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan, martial law and curfew were imposed in the country. At the same time, the internet was restricted.

As a result of the 44-day operation, the Azerbaijani side announced it had control of about 280 villages, four settlements (Hadrut, Minjivan, Agband, Bartaz), Shusha and four other cities (Jabrayil, Fizuli, Zangilan, Gubadli).

On November 10, a ceasefire was signed by the heads of state of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.

According to the document, Azerbaijan will retain control of the newly re-acquired territories. Kalbajar, Agdam and Lachin regions will be returned to Azerbaijan by 1 December 2020. Russian peacekeepers will be stationed in the Lachin corridor and on the line of contact.

The region of Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, was declared independent by ethnic Armenians living there as the Soviet Union collapsed. An estimated 30,000 were killed when the conflict turned into a full-fledged war,. A ceasefire signed in 1994 under the auspices of Moscow put a fragile end to a large-scale conflict. Peace talks mediated by France, US and Russia were unsuccessful and since then, the conflict was volatile, with flare-ups sporadically occurring.