Azerbaijan's Divide: Exploring The Country's Complex History

Azerbaijan is divided into two parts due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region, which was historically a part of the Soviet Union, has a majority ethnic Armenian population and was designated as an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1923. However, tensions between the two ethnic groups escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, resulting in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and the establishment of the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh. Despite mediation efforts by organizations like the OSCE Minsk Group, the conflict remains unresolved, with periodic clashes and violations of ceasefire agreements continuing to occur.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the Artsakh Liberation War, was an armed conflict that took place in the late 1980s to May 1994. On February 20, 1988, the enclave's parliament voted in favor of uniting with Armenia. As the Soviet Union's dissolution neared, the tensions gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between ethnic Armenians and ethnic Azerbaijanis. Both sides made claims of ethnic cleansing and pogroms conducted by the other. The circumstances of the dissolution of the Soviet Union facilitated an Armenian separatist movement in Soviet Azerbaijan. As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan. The referendum held in 1991 was boycotted by the Azerbaijani population and had an electorate turnout of 82.1%, of which 99.9% voted in favor of independence. The referendum resulted in the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Full-scale fighting erupted in the late winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), failed to bring resolution. By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of most of the enclave and also held and currently control approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave. An estimated 353,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and 500,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia and Karabakh have been displaced as a result of the conflict.

The conflict remained unresolved for decades, with periodic violations of the 1994 ceasefire. In April 2016, intense fighting at the line of separation killed hundreds on both sides. In September 2020, large-scale fighting resumed, with Azerbaijan launching an offensive along the line of contact. The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in thousands of casualties and a significant Azerbaijani victory. An armistice was established by a tripartite ceasefire agreement on November 10, resulting in Azerbaijan regaining all of the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as well as capturing one-third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the Armenian–Azerbaijani border continued following the 2020 war. In December 2022, Azerbaijan launched a blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, and in September 2023, it launched a military offensive, resulting in a new ceasefire agreement. Most ethnic Armenians fled, and Artsakh was officially dissolved on January 1, 2024.

Ethnic and territorial disputes

Azerbaijan is divided into two parts due to ethnic and territorial disputes with Armenia, which have resulted in large-scale conflicts and wars. The dispute is primarily over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians and was established as an autonomous oblast within Soviet Azerbaijan in 1923.

In 1988, ethnic tensions escalated as Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh demanded to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia. This demand was met with a series of pogroms against Armenians across Azerbaijan, and violence was committed against both Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The tensions eventually led to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the late 1980s, which resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War ended in a ceasefire in 1994, with Armenian forces in control of Nagorno-Karabakh and occupying approximately 20% of Azerbaijan's territory. However, the conflict remained unresolved, with both sides accusing each other of ceasefire violations and engaging in intermittent clashes.

In September 2020, the dispute escalated into the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, which resulted in a significant Azerbaijani victory. Azerbaijan regained control of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself, while the remaining two-thirds are patrolled by Russian peacekeepers but governed by self-proclaimed local authorities.

The dispute has also led to the isolation of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan, which is now only connected to the rest of Azerbaijan via Iranian territory. The region has a long history of competing territorial claims, with Persians, Armenians, Mongols, and Turks all vying for control at various points.

The ongoing ethnic and territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have resulted in a divided Azerbaijan, with Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhchivan becoming separated from the rest of the country due to Armenian control and Iranian borders, respectively.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

The region has a long history, with the capital city of Nakhchivan dating back to about 1500 BC. Historically, the Persians, Armenians, Mongols, and Turks all competed for the region. In the 16th century, the area became part of Safavid Iran, and the semi-autonomous Nakhchivan Khanate was established in the mid-18th century. In 1828, after the last Russo-Persian War, the Nakhchivan Khanate passed into Imperial Russian possession.

During the First World War and in the years following, Nakhchivan was the scene of bloodshed between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who both laid claim to the area. In 1918, the region came under Ottoman occupation, and the Ottomans proceeded to massacre 10,000 Armenians and raze their villages. After the war, the British placed Nakhchivan under Armenian administration in 1919, but an Azerbaijani revolt prevented Armenia from establishing full control. In 1920, the Bolsheviks occupied the region and initially promised to allot Nakhchivan to Armenia. However, in 1921, the Bolshevik government declared the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which became an autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924.

In January 1990, Nakhchivan declared independence from the USSR to protest the Soviet Union's actions during Black January. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it became the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic within the newly independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

Today, Nakhchivan remains internationally recognized as a constituent part of Azerbaijan, with its own elected legislative assembly. The region's economy is based on agriculture, mining, and food processing, though 75% of its budget is supplied by the central government in Baku.

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War

The conflict was sparked by the enclave's parliament voting in favour of uniting with Armenia. This demand began in a peaceful manner in 1988, but as the Soviet Union disintegrated, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, resulting in ethnic cleansing and pogroms.

Full-scale fighting erupted in early 1992, with Turkey sending mercenaries to fight for Azerbaijan and assisting in blockading trade to Armenia. International mediation attempts failed, and in early 1993, Armenian forces captured seven Azerbaijani-majority districts outside the enclave itself. By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of the enclave and surrounding Azerbaijani territories, most notably the Lachin corridor. A Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in May 1994.

The conflict resulted in approximately 724,000 Azerbaijanis being expelled from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the surrounding territories, while 300,000-500,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan or Armenian border areas were displaced. The war left the Nagorno-Karabakh area in a state of legal limbo, with the Republic of Artsakh remaining de facto independent but internationally unrecognized.

In May 1918, separate Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian national republics declared their formal independence from Russia. Fighting soon broke out between the First Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in three regions in particular: Nakhchivan, Zangezur, and Karabakh itself.

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

The war was characterized by the widespread use of drones, heavy artillery, missile strikes, and state propaganda. In particular, Azerbaijan's use of drones was seen as crucial in determining the conflict's outcome. The United Nations and numerous countries strongly condemned the fighting and called on both sides to de-escalate tensions and resume negotiations. Three ceasefires brokered by Russia, France, and the United States failed to stop the conflict.

The capture of Shusha, the second-largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, led to a ceasefire agreement that ended all hostilities in the area from November 10, 2020. The agreement resulted in a significant shift in the control of territories in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas. Approximately 2,000 Russian soldiers were deployed as peacekeeping forces along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with a mandate of at least five years.

Following the war, there were continued skirmishes and violations of the ceasefire agreement, including substantial clashes in 2022. Tensions remained high, with Azerbaijan imposing a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh in December 2022 and launching a large-scale military offensive in September 2023, leading to further casualties and displacement.

Frequently asked questions