Nagorno-Karabakh: A Region Stuck Between Two Countries

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but was, until recently, largely governed by the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also known as the Republic of Artsakh. The region has been the subject of a long-standing territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by neighbouring Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan

The name "Nagorno-Karabakh" is derived from the Russian attributive adjective "nagorny," meaning "highland." The region is also known as "Artsakh," the ancient Armenian name for the area. The Azerbaijani names for the region include "dağlıq" and "yuxarı," both of which mean "mountainous."

Historically, Nagorno-Karabakh was inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians and was the subject of a long-standing territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The region was acquired by Russia in 1813, and in 1923, the Soviet government established it as an Armenian-majority autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Throughout the Soviet period, Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh faced heavy discrimination from Soviet Azerbaijani authorities, who worked to suppress Armenian culture and identity, pressured Armenians to leave, and encouraged the settlement of Azerbaijanis in the region. Despite these efforts, Armenians remained the majority population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

As the Soviet Union began to dissolve in the late 1980s, tensions between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated. In 1988, ethnic Armenians in the region demanded to be transferred from Soviet Azerbaijan to Armenia, citing self-determination laws in the Soviet constitution. This demand was strongly opposed by both the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Soviet government, leading to a series of pogroms against Armenians across Azerbaijan.

The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s, known as the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The war was fought between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Armenian forces gained control of much of southwestern Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

A Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in 1994, leading to two decades of relative stability. However, intermittent clashes and violations of the ceasefire agreement continued to occur, demonstrating the persistent risk of renewed conflict.

In late 2020, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out, resulting in thousands of casualties and a significant Azerbaijani victory. Azerbaijan regained control of all the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and captured one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Despite a trilateral ceasefire agreement signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, tensions and ceasefire violations in the region have persisted.

The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but until recently, much of it was governed by the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also known as the Republic of Artsakh. This republic was dissolved on 1 January 2024, and the region is now under Azerbaijani control.

The region has a long history as the subject of a territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenian majority population, backed by neighbouring Armenia. The roots of the conflict date back over a century, with competition between Christian Armenian and Muslim Turkic and Persian influences. In the 19th century, Karabakh became part of the Russian Empire, populated by Christian Armenian and Turkic Azeris. After the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the new Soviet rulers established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region within the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, with an ethnic Armenian majority.

In the context of the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence, and a full-scale war erupted. This first Karabakh war, from 1988 to 1994, resulted in roughly thirty thousand casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. Armenia gained control of Nagorno-Karabakh and occupied 20% of Azerbaijan's geographic area. A Russian-brokered ceasefire, known as the Bishkek Protocol, was signed in 1994, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh de facto independent, with a self-proclaimed government in Stepanakert, but still heavily reliant on Armenia.

Despite the ceasefire, there were intermittent clashes and violations, with both sides employing attack drones, shelling, and special operations activities. In April 2016, intense fighting along the line of separation resulted in hundreds of casualties. In September 2020, a second Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out, with an Azerbaijani offensive in the region and surrounding territories. This war ended in November 2020 with a trilateral ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia. Azerbaijan regained control of all the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and captured one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself, including its capital, Shusha.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh and the exodus of almost the entire Armenian population from the region. On 1 January 2024, the Republic of Artsakh was formally dissolved, and the region is now under Azerbaijani control.

The international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan is clear, and efforts are now focused on normalising relations and reaching a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The majority of the population in Nagorno-Karabakh are ethnic Armenians

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but has long been home to a large ethnic Armenian population.

The region has historically been the site of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the first Nagorno-Karabakh War taking place between 1988 and 1994. During this time, Armenians faced discrimination and suppression of their culture and identity by Soviet Azerbaijani authorities, who pressured them to leave the region. Despite this, Armenians remained the majority population in Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict resulted in a ceasefire in 1994, with the region becoming de facto independent with a self-proclaimed government.

The second Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out in 2020, resulting in a significant Azerbaijani victory and the capture of one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that led to the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh and the exodus of almost the entire Armenian population from the region. As a result, Nagorno-Karabakh was formally dissolved in 2024.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in a mass displacement of people, with many ethnic Armenians fleeing the region due to fears of persecution and a lack of trust in Azerbaijani authorities. The future of those who remain is uncertain, with Azerbaijan rescinding its offer of special status or autonomy to ethnic Armenians and instead insisting on their "integration" into Azerbaijan.

The region is landlocked and mountainous

The region of Nagorno-Karabakh is landlocked and mountainous, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. The name "Nagorno-Karabakh" translates to "mountainous black garden" in Russian, and the region's terrain mostly consists of mountains and forestland. The peaks of the Karabakh Range include Mount Gyamysh, which rises to 12,218 feet (3,724 meters).

The region's environment varies from steppe on the Kura lowland to dense forests of oak, hornbeam, and beech on the lower mountain slopes, with birchwood and alpine meadows higher up. The entire region sits at an average elevation of 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level, with approximately half of its terrain rising above 3,120 feet (950 meters). The tall mountain ridges along the northern edge and the west and mountainous south further shape the landscape.

The landlocked nature of the region is evident as it does not share a direct border with Armenia. However, it is connected to Armenia through the Lachin corridor, a mountain pass under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. This pass is crucial for maintaining a link between Nagorno-Karabakh and the outside world, especially during periods of tension and conflict.

The mountainous terrain of Nagorno-Karabakh has played a significant role in the region's history and conflicts. The varying elevations and rugged landscape have influenced military strategies, refugee movements, and the establishment of buffer zones during periods of violence. The region's natural resources, such as mineral springs and deposits of zinc, coal, lead, gold, marble, and limestone, have also been a factor in the conflicts over territory and control.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The roots of the conflict date back to the 19th century, when Karabakh became part of the Russian Empire, populated by Christian Armenian and Turkic Azeri communities. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet Union established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1923, with an ethnic Armenian majority, within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

In the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union began to dissolve, tensions escalated between Armenians and Azeris. The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast's legislature voted to join the Republic of Armenia in 1988, sparking violent clashes and pogroms against Armenians across Azerbaijan. This led to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties and the displacement of over a million people.

A Russian-brokered ceasefire, known as the Bishkek Protocol, ended the first war in 1994, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh de facto independent with a self-proclaimed government in Stepanakert but heavily reliant on Armenia. However, the underlying ethnic and territorial disputes remained unresolved, and intermittent clashes continued to occur along the separation line.

In September 2020, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out, resulting in thousands of casualties and a significant Azerbaijani victory. A trilateral ceasefire agreement was signed in November 2020, with Russia as a mediator, leading to Azerbaijan reclaiming all the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and capturing a significant portion of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

Despite the ceasefire, tensions persisted, and Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh in December 2022, causing a humanitarian crisis for the region's residents. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched another large-scale military offensive, resulting in the exodus of almost the entire Armenian population from the region. The Republic of Artsakh, which governed Nagorno-Karabakh, was officially dissolved on 1st January 2024, and Azerbaijan began the process of reintegrating the region into its territory.

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