Azerbaijan's Unique Geography: A Country In Two Parts

Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is landlocked, with the Caspian Sea to the east. The country is split into two pieces by the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan, which is separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. The region has a long history, dating back to about 1500 BC, and has been historically contested by Persians, Armenians, Mongols, and Turks. Today, the region is predominantly Azerbaijani, with a small population of Russians.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The conflict has its roots in the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 1923, the Soviet Union established the NKAO within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, despite the region being 95% ethnically Armenian. In 1988, the NKAO's regional legislature passed a resolution to join the Republic of Armenia, citing self-determination laws in the Soviet constitution. This sparked violence between the two republics, which have a long history of ethnic tension.

Amid the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence, and full-scale war erupted. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, from 1988 to 1994, resulted in roughly thirty thousand casualties and hundreds of thousands of refugees. A Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994 left Nagorno-Karabakh de facto independent, with a self-proclaimed government in Stepanakert, but still heavily reliant on Armenia.

Despite the ceasefire, tensions remained high, and both sides continued to engage in intermittent clashes, with the most intense fighting since 1994 occurring in April 2016. In September 2020, heavy fighting broke out again along the Azerbaijan-Nagorno-Karabakh border, resulting in thousands of casualties. Despite initial resistance, both countries eventually agreed to hold talks, and a second Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in November 2020. Azerbaijan reclaimed most of the territory it had lost, and the Lachin corridor was established to serve as a transit route connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, violations of the 2020 ceasefire led to further conflict in September 2022, with Azerbaijan launching attacks on several locations inside Armenian territory. This forced the evacuation of thousands of civilians, and a new ceasefire was agreed upon shortly after. In December 2022, Azerbaijan began blockading the Lachin corridor, resulting in severe shortages and rationing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh and the flight of almost all ethnic Armenians from the region. This offensive ended the ethnic Armenian enclave, and efforts are now underway to reintegrate the region and its remaining population into Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union

Azerbaijan was an independent nation from 1918 to 1920 but was then incorporated into the Soviet Union. It became a constituent (union) republic in 1936.

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established in 1918, a year after the Russian Empire collapsed, and became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. The name "Azerbaijan", adopted by the ruling Musavat Party for political reasons, had previously been used to identify the adjacent region of contemporary northwestern Iran.

In 1920, the country was conquered and incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet and post-Soviet periods

Azerbaijan was an important source of oil for the Soviet Union during World War II, with 80% of the Soviet Union's oil on the Eastern Front being supplied by Baku.

In the early Soviet period, the Azerbaijani national identity was finally forged. Azerbaijan remained under Soviet rule until the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, after which the independent Republic of Azerbaijan was proclaimed.

Azerbaijan's independence was recognised by the Allies in January 1920 at the Paris Peace Conference. The republic was governed by five cabinets, formed by a coalition of the Musavat, the Socialist Bloc, the Independents, the Liberals, the Hummet and the Ittihad parties.

Azerbaijan was proclaimed a Soviet socialist republic on 28 April 1920. The Congress of the Peoples of the East was held in Baku in September of that year. Nominally an independent state, the Azerbaijan SSR was dependent on (and controlled by) the government in Moscow. It was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, with Armenia and Georgia, in March 1922. In accordance with a December 1922 agreement, the TSFSR became one of the Soviet Union's four original republics.

The TSFSR was dissolved in 1936, and its three regions became republics of the USSR. In the early Soviet period, the Azerbaijani national identity was finally forged.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

Azerbaijan is divided into two pieces by a strip of Armenian territory. The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan, with a population of 459,600 and an area of 5,502.75 sq km (2,124.62 sq mi). It is bordered by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the southwest, and Turkey to the west. The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is the only autonomous republic in Azerbaijan and is governed by its own elected legislature.

The region has a long history, dating back to about 1500 BC. Nakhchivan was once part of the historical Armenian province of Vaspurakan in the Kingdom of Armenia. Over the centuries, the Persians, Armenians, Mongols, and Turks all competed for the region. In the 16th century, the area became part of Safavid Iran. The semi-autonomous Nakhchivan Khanate was established in the mid-18th century. After the last Russo-Persian War in 1826-1828 and the Treaty of Turkmenchay, the Nakhchivan Khanate was ceded to Imperial Russia in 1828.

During the First World War, Nakhchivan was the scene of conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who both claimed the area. In 1918, the region came under Ottoman occupation, and the Ottomans massacred 10,000 Armenians, razing 45 of their villages. After the war, the British occupied the region and placed it under Armenian administration in 1919. However, an Azerbaijani revolt prevented Armenia from establishing full control. In July 1920, the Bolsheviks occupied the region and declared it the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, with close ties to the Azerbaijan SSR. In 1924, it became an autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan SSR.

During the Soviet era, Nakhchivan saw significant improvements in education and public health. The region also experienced a demographic shift, with the Armenian population decreasing and the Azeri population increasing. In 1990, Nakhchivan declared independence from the USSR, and in 1991, it became the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within the newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

Today, Nakhchivan remains an autonomous republic within Azerbaijan, recognised internationally as a constituent part of the country. The region's economy is based on agriculture, mining, and food processing, with a focus on crops such as grains, cotton, tobacco, and fruits, as well as sheep farming. The region also has important mineral deposits, including salt, molybdenum, and lead. However, Nakhchivan faces economic hardships and energy shortages, and its isolation from the rest of Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus region persists.

Azerbaijan's two-part military

Azerbaijan's military is split into two parts: the Armed Forces and the Security Forces.

The Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan are split into three branches: the Azerbaijani Land Forces, the Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force, and the Azerbaijani Navy. The Armed Forces were re-established on 9 October 1991, after the country's independence from the Soviet Union. The Armed Forces have a total of 56,840 men in the Land Forces, 7,900 in the Air Force and Air Defence Force, and 2,200 in the Navy. The Armed Forces also include the Azerbaijani National Guard, the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan, and the State Border Service, which can be involved in state defence under certain circumstances.

The Security Forces

The Security Forces consist of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: the Internal Troops, local police forces, and the Special State Protection Service (SSPS). The SSPS is under the President and provides protective services to senior officials, foreign missions, and significant state assets. The National Guard also serves as a reserve for the Army.

International Cooperation

Azerbaijan has signed numerous contracts with Turkey to strengthen its Armed Forces and train its military. The country has also been preparing its military for possible action against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is not part of NATO but has had a cooperative relationship with it since it joined the Partnership for Peace program in 1994. The country has also provided troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Azerbaijan's political leadership

Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic, with a president who is the head of state. The current president is Ilham Aliyev, who is also the leader of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party. Aliyev is the son of Heydar Aliyev, who was president from 1993 to 2003. Ilham Aliyev became president in 2003, after his father's resignation due to ill health.

The president is the embodiment of executive power and is the commander-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The president rules through the Presidential Administration, which consists of a group of secretaries and departmental ministers. The president also has a Cabinet of Ministers regarding economic and social policy, and a Security Council regarding foreign, military, and judicial matters.

The president is elected for a seven-year term, with no limit on the number of terms. The president is inaugurated in a ceremony with various officials and foreign representatives, during which they take an oath to observe the Constitution, protect the independence and territorial integrity of the state, and serve the people with dignity.

The Aliyev family has been accused of authoritarianism, worsening human rights, and increasing restrictions on civil liberties. Ilham Aliyev has been accused of election fraud, and the country ranks 91st on the Human Development Index.

Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and is a member of 38 international organisations, including the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and NATO's Partnership for Peace program.

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