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Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Armenian: Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն), short name Nagorno Karabakh Azerbaijani: Dağlıq Qarabağ or Yuxarı Qarabağ, literally "mountainous Karabakh" or "upper Karabakh"; Russian: Нагорный Карабах, translit. Nagornyy Karabakh; translit. Lernayin Gharabagh), historically known as Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախ), is a region of former Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, in southern Caucasia, located about 270 km (about 170 mi) west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. This predominantly Armenian populated autonomous region had been placed under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan by an arbitrary decision of Stalin in 1923. Karabakh has declared independence from Azerbaijan on December 10, 1991 and established Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). The NKR's sovereign status is not recognized by any country in the world.

Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն
(Lernayin Gharabaghi Hanrapetut’yun)

The NKR Coat of Arms Flag of the NKR The NKR Coat of Arms
Map of the region
Map of the region. (Orange area indicates Armenian-controlled territory)
Political status	Unrecognized
Languages	Hayeren / Armenian
Capital	Stepanakert / Xankəndi
President	Arkadi Gukasian
Independence  – Declared  – Celebrated  – Recognition	From Azerbaijan  December 10, 1991  September 2, 1991  none
Area	4,400 km²
Population Ethnic Composition	145,000 (2002 est.) Over 95% Armenian 5% minorities
Currency	Dram (AMD) (Armenian)
Time zone	UTC +4 (DST +5)
Internet TLD	none
Calling Code	374 ???
nkrusa.org

The region's area is 4,400 km².Last official demographic data for this region have been received as a result of the Soviet population census in 1979. At that time the general population of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was 162,200 persons from which 123,100 were Armenians (75,9 %), and 37,300 - Azeri (22,9 %). The region had no border with the neighboring Armenia, being separated from it by a narrow strip of the Azerbaijan land (so-called Lachin corridor). The capital is called Stepanakert (Xankəndi in Azeri).

The name of this small region, which was a little known outside of the Soviet Transcaucasia up to the end of 80th years of XX century century, now has concentrated in itself fierce ethno political and geopolitical disputes which in combination with other reasons have led to disintegration of Soviet Union.

The war for Nagorno Karabakh became the longest and one of the bloodiest conflicts in states-successors of Soviet Union. According to last estimations, it has killed 15000 people, and the number of refugees has exceeded one million.

From the point of view of international law this conflict is an example of contradictions between two fundamental principles: on the one hand, rights of people for self-determination, and on the other hand, a principle of territorial integrity according to which the state borders can only be changed under the peaceful agreement of parties involved.

Not going down deeply in ancient and medieval history, nevertheless, it is necessary to notice, that the Armenian party can present impressing number of neutral sources which testify, that Armenians prevailed in region during more than millennia. The Turkic population has appeared there not earlier the beginning of XVIII century century, having established eventually the board above the Armenian majority in the form Karabakh khanate, included in structure of Russian empire in 1813. During soviet time, as well as in imperial Russia, administrative borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region do not coincide with ethnic borders.

Nagorno-Karabakh became a subject of the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1918 when both countries declared independence from Russia. Azerbaijan claimed sovereignty over the province and sought to conquer it with help from the Young Turks. Territorial dispute has not been resolved until 1920, when both young states became part of the Soviet Union, and actually lost their independence due to the actions of Russian communists (Bolsheviks). In December, 1920 the Azerbaijan communistic government has dropped former complaints on Nagorno-Karabakh and some other territories populated by Armenians, recognizing these territories as part of the Soviet Armenia.

However, later the Azerbaijan new Soviet government has renewed the complaints and has addressed them to Moscow for support. On July, 4, 1921 so-called Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party has voted for inclusion Nagorno-Karabakh into structure of Armenia. But next day, on July, 5, the new session of Caucasian Bureau has reconsidered its first decision in favor of Azerbaijan and ordered to place this territory under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan. This part of resolution of the Caucasian Bureau has been implemented in 1923, when Autonomous Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh was formed.

Supporters for the Armenian position frequently emphasize, that resolution of the Caucasian Bureau from July, 5, 1921, was obviously accepted under the Bolsheviks pressure, and, in any case, this resolution contradicts with the principle of self-determination and cannot be considered as valid: the problem should be solved by the countries, which it directly involves, and not by the Committee created specially for this case and inside the ruling party of the third country.

Ethnic groups of the region in 1995: (See entire map)

When Mikhail Gorbachev has come to power in Moscow and has started the campaigns of publicity and democratic reforms in the end of 80th, the question of Nagorno-Karabakh reemerged. Encouraged by universal relaxation of political restrictions after decades of government repression, Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh now have decided to address the problems to the international and Soviet heads. Complaining about "forced Azerification" of the region, the majority Armenian population started a movement to transfer it to Armenia. The conflict has been strongly burdened by the massive anti-Armenian pogrom organized in the Azerbaijan city of Sumgait at the end of February, 1988 - the first explosion of ethnic violence in the newest Soviet history.

In November 1991, seeking to squelch this movement, the Parliament of Azerbaijan abolished the autonomous status of the region. In response the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians held a December 10, 1991 referendum in which the overwhelming majority of the population voted for outright independence. The Azeri community of Nagorno-Karabakh boycotted this referendum.

These events led to violent actions against Armenians living in Baku, Sumgait and elsewhere in Azerbaijan. As a result, a vast majority of Armenians in Azerbaijan (except for Nagorno-Karabakh) were displaced. A land war between Armenia and Azerbaijan followed the events of civil violence. Military actions were heavily influenced by the Russian military inspiring and balancing on the rivalry between the two neighboring nations to keep both under control.

An unofficial cease-fire was reached on May 12th, 1994 through Russian negotiation, and continues today. Today Armenians remain in control of the Soviet era autonomous region, a strip of land (called the Lachin corridor) linking it with the Republic of Armenia, as well as the so-called security zone--strips of territory along the region borders which had been used by Azerbaijan artillery during the war. At the same time part of Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Shaumyian, Getashen, etc.) are occupied by Azeri forces.

Today Nagorno-Karabakh is a de-facto independent state calling itself the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It is closely tied to the Republic of Armenia and uses its currency, the dram. Successive Armenian governments have resisted internal pressure to unite the two, fearing reprisals from Azerbaijan and the international community, which still considers Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan. The politics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are so intermingled that a former president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Robert Kocharian, has become first prime minister (1997) and then the president of Armenia (1998 to the present).

At present, the mediation process is stalled and ongoing as both sides are equally intransigent. Azerbaijan insists that Armenian troops withdraw from all areas of Azerbaijan outside Nagorno-Karabakh and that all displaced persons be allowed to return to their homes before the status of Karabakh can be discussed. Armenia does not even admit that Nagorno-Karabakh is legally part of Azerbaijan, arguing that because the region declared independence at the same time that Azerbaijan became an independent state, both of them are equally successor states of the Soviet Union. The Armenian government insists that the government of Nagorno-Karabakh be part of any discussions on the region's future and rejects ceding occupied territory or allowing refugees to return prior to talks on the region's status.

In the latest episode, representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Russia and the United States met in Paris and Key-West, Florida in the spring of 2001. The details of the talks have remained largely secret, but reportedly the sides discussed non-hierarchical relationships between the central Azerbaijanian government and the Karabakh Armenian authorities. Despite rumours that the parties were again close to a solution, the Azerbaijanian authorities, both during Heydar Aliyev and after coming into power in October 2003 elections of his son Ilham Aliyev, have firmly denied any agreement has been reached in Paris or Key-West.

Recent round of talks between Azerbaijanian and Armenian presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan, were held in September 2004 in Astana, Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit. Reportedly, one of the suggestions put forward was withdrawal of the occupying forces from the Azeri territories adjacent to Mountainous Karabakh and holding referendums in Mountainous Karabakh and in Azerbaijan regarding the future status of the region.

See also

• Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh

External links

• Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh from BBC
• ArtsakhWorld.com – An Armenian site about Nagorno-Karabakh
• Karabakh.org– An Azeri site about Nagorno-Karabakh
• The official site of the 'NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs'
• 'Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States'
• Karabakh Travel Guide
• Special Karabakh on Caucaz.com, Weekly Online about South Caucasus
• Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Briefing

• Armenia
• Caucasus
• Disputed territories