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The Zheleznovodsk Communiqué, also known as the Zheleznovodsk Declaration or Zheleznovodsk Accords, is the joint peace communiqué mediated by Russian President, Boris Yeltsin and Kazakhstan President, Nursultan Nazarbayev in Zheleznovodsk, Russia on September 23, 1991 with an intention to end the three year long hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Although consensus was reached, the treaty was never ratified.

Background

An autonomous oblast during the Soviet era under the jurisdiction of the Azerbaijan Soviet republic, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, whose population was predominantly Armenian, expressed its desire to unite with Armenia in February 1988, a move that was staunchly opposed by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities.

Mediating mission

With consent from the authorities in Azerbaijan and Armenia, Boris Yeltsin and Nursultan Nazarbayev led a mediating mission on September 20-23 visiting Baku, Ganja, Stepanakert and Yerevan. Taking the principles of territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states, observance of civil rights as the starting point, a kbreakthrough was achieved on September 22 when Armenia renounced all its claims to Azerbaijani territory. This allowed the parties to agree to a joint communique the next day, committing both sides to disarm and withdraw militias, allow return of refugees and IDPs, re-establish Soviet-era administrative order of the Nagorno-Karabakh oblast and set up delegations to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Soviet army and internal troops would still remain in the conflict zone and the process would be supervised by Russian and Kazakh officials. The peace communiqué was discussed with participation of Y. Shaposhnikov, V.Barannikov, S. Voskanyan, M. Gezalov, V. Dzhafarov, R. Kocharian, L. Petrosian, M. Radayev and was signed by Boris Yeltsin (Russian Federation), Ayaz Mutalibov (Azerbaijan), Nursultan Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan)and Levon Ter-Petrosian (Armenia).

The peace efforts came to a halt with the crash of an Azerbaijani MI-8 helicopter with Russian, Kazakh observers and Azerbaijani high-ranking state officials on-board when it was shot down, apparently by Armenians, over Karakend village of Khojavend district.

See also

• Bishkek Protocol

References

1. " "The Transitional Justice Peace Agreements Database. Record 617". Retrieved April 14, 2010.
2. Kaufman, Stuart (2001). Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War. New York: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs. p. 61. ISBN 0-8014-8736-6.
3. Bill Keller (1991-09-23). "ARMENIA YIELDING CLAIM ON ENCLAVE". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
4. "Zheleznovodsk Declaration". September 23, 1991. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
5. Eichensehr, Kristen; Reisman, W.Michael (1998). Stopping Wars and Making Peace: Studies in International Intervention. Leiden, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 54. ISBN 978-90-04-17855-7. Retrieved April 14, 2010. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

External links

• The unofficial translation of Zheleznovodsk Declaration

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