The ceasefire agreement that came into force at midnight on May 11–12, 1994, marked a critical turning point in the armed phase of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the former Nagorno-Karabakh region. It was formulated as a response to the ceasefire appeal outlined in the final document of the Bishkek Protocol, signed on May 8, 1994. This protocol emerged from a meeting of parliamentary delegations from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which convened in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on May 4–5, 1994, to halt hostilities and pave the way for diplomatic engagement. The ceasefire document itself was not a trilateral agreement signed simultaneously by all parties but rather a coordinated declaration signed independently by the military representatives of the conflicting sides. On May 9, Mammadrafi Mammadov, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, signed the document in Baku. He was followed by his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sargsyan, who signed it on May 11 in Yerevan. On the same day, Samvel Babayan, “commander of the military forces” of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also signed the agreement in Khankendi.[1]

The ceasefire agreement stipulated a full cessation of hostilities, calling on all parties to halt military operations starting from 00:01 on May 12, 1994. It further required the sides to exchange the texts of their respective ceasefire orders by 23:00 on May 12. This exchange was intended to facilitate the mutual supplementation and potential unification of the core provisions of future documents, thereby maintaining consistency in ceasefire commitments. The agreement would enter into force immediately after the authorized representatives of the conflicting parties signed identical versions of the document.[2]

[1] “The Ceasefire Agreement,” May 1994, Peace Agreements Database; https://www.peaceagreements.org/view/990. Accessed on December 3, 2024.

[2] “The Ceasefire Agreement.”