Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh (from the Russian (Нагорный Карабах) variant of the Azeri name Dağlıq Qarabağ meaning mountainous black garden, the Armenian name is Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ — Lernayin Gharabagh, also referred to – mostly by Armenians – as Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախ)) is a region of Azerbaijan, in the southern Caucasus, located about 270 km (about 170 miles) west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. The region is predominantly ethnic Armenian, and is effectively under Armenian control. The local Armenian separatists declared independence from Azerbaijan on December 10 1991, and formed the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (NKR). The NKR's sovereign status is not recognized by any country in the world.

Nagorno-Karabakh / Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն / Dağlıq Qarabağ

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  – Celebrated1  – Recognition	From Azerbaijan  December 10 1991  September 2 1991  none
Area	4,400 km²
Population2 Ethnic Composition3	145,000 (est. 2002) Over 95% Armenian 5% minorities
Currency	Dram (AMD) (Armenian)
Time zone	UTC +4 (DST +5)
Internet TLD	none
Calling Code	374 ???
1,2,3 nkrusa.org

The region has a total area of 4,400 km², and in 1989 it had a population of 192,000. The population at that time was mainly Armenian (76%) and Azeri (23%), with Russian and Kurdish minorities. The capital is called Stepanakert (Xankəndi in Azeri). Its other major city is Shusha, which today lies in ruins.

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) was one of the historical parts of Armenia.

For the first time Artsakh appeared under the name "Urtehke" or "Urtehini" as it is mentioned in Urartianian cuneiform writings.

In the I century BC Artsakh is mentioned under the name of "Orhistene". Strabo (born 63 BC or 64 BC, died ca. 24 AD) mentions Orhistene among the Armenian provinces (as well as Phavneni and Kombiseni).

Clavdius Ptolemeus (Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαίος; c. 85 – c. 165) in his "Geography" informs, that "Great Armenia is located from the north to a part of Colchida, Iberia and Albania alone the line, which goes through the river Kir (Kura)" (see: Ptolemaios Klaudios, "Geography", V, XII).

Plinius Secundos (23–79 AD, better known as Pliny the Elder) writes, that "the tribe of Albanians settled on the Caucasian mountains, reaches … the river Kir making border of Armenia and Iberia" (see Plinius the Second, "The Natural history ", VI, 39).

Movses Khorensky (V century AD) names Artsakh "Small Sunik" (Armenian "Pokr Sunik"). According to Moses, here, in Artsakh, young Grigorius (grandson of Gregory the Illuminator) was buried after he was killed on the field of Vatnyan (see Moves Khorensky, "History of Armenia", III, chapter 3).

Other Armenian historian of V century - Egishe (Elishe) writes, that after defeat in battle (451 AD) many of the Armenians rising against Persians, ran "in the impassable countries Tmorika and in dense woods of Arstakh" (see Egishe, "The Word about Armenian War", sec 6-th).

Busand (V century BC) tells, that Musheh Mamikonian has restored border between Armenia and Albania on the river Kura (Kir).

In "The Armenian Geography" (VII cent. AD) Artzakh is mentioned as 9-th of 15 provinces of Great Armenia.

Since X century AD in historical works and sources Artzakh is mentioned under the name Khachen (the named of fortresses, the residence of the Armenian prince Sahla Smbatjan). The Byzantian emperor Konstantin Bagrjanorodny addressed his letters "to prince of Hachen - to Armenia".

The name Karabakh for the first time is mentioned on XIV century. At this time Artzakh has been broken up to tens Armenian princedoms, with the center in Gandzasar, under the Catholicos ruling. In 1672 Catholicos Pyotr in the letter to Russian tsar Alexey (Mihajlovich) names himself "the Catholicos of all Armenians".

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Karabakh became part of the Transcaucasian Federation, which soon dissolved into separate Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian states. Azerbaijan claimed sovereignty over the province and sought to secure its claims with help from Ottoman Turkey. Despite the fact that the Ottomans were defeated in the course of World War I, Karabakh’s de-facto ownership by Azerbaijan was recognized in 1919 by the Allies, who recognized Khosrov-bey Sultanov (appointed by the Azerbaijan government) as general-governor of Karabakh. Whereas Azerbaijan commended this decision as a recognition of its rights to the territory, the Armenian side criticized it, arguing that this decision was made because of the Allies' economic interests in the oil fields near Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.

In 1920, Transcaucasia was taken over by the Bolsheviks who, in order to attract public support, promised that they would give Karabakh to Armenia along with Nakhchivan and Zangezur (presently part of Armenia, separating Azerbaijan from Nakhchivan proper). However, Moscow also had a far-reaching plans concerning Turkey, hoping that it would, with a little help from Russia, develop along Communist lines. Needing to appease Turkey, Moscow agreed to a compromise solution that gave Zangezur to Armenia while leaving Karabakh and Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. As a result, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was established in the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923. Most of the decisions on the transfer of the territories and the establishment of new autonomous entities were made under pressure from Stalin, who is still blamed by both Azeris and Armenians for arbitrary decisions made against their national interests.

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

With the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the question of Nagorno-Karabakh reemerged. Complaining about "forced Azerification" of the region, the majority Armenian population started a movement to transfer it to Armenia. In November 1991, following the Karabakh Armenians' declaration of secession from Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Parliament retaliated by removing the autonomous status of the region. In response, the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians held a referendum on December 10 1991, in which the overwhelming majority of the population voted for outright independence. The Azeri community of Nagorno-Karabakh boycotted the referendum, however.

The spiralling conflict led to violent actions against Armenians living in Sumgait, Baku, and elsewhere in Azerbaijan, and against Azerbaijanis living in Vardenis, Masis, Ghukark, and other regions of Armenia. As a result, a vast number of Azerbaijanis in Armenia and Armenians in Azerbaijan (except for Nagorno-Karabakh) were displaced. A land war between Armenia and Azerbaijan followed this civil violence. Military action was heavily influenced by the Russian military, who inspired and manipulated the rivalry between the two neighbouring nations in order to keep both under control.

Azerbaijanis were driven out of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories neighboring Nagorno-Karabakh (populated by Azerbaijanis), which are still under control of the Armenian military. An unofficial cease-fire was reached on May 12 1994 through Russian negotiation, and continues 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 of the so-called security zone — strips of territory along the region's borders which had been used by Azerbaijani artillery during the war.

Today, Nagorno-Karabakh is a de facto independent state, which calls 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, became first the prime minister (1997) and then the president of Armenia (1998 to the present).

At present, the mediation process is stalled, 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 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 the parties are reported to have discussed non-hierarchical relationships between the central Azerbaijani government and the Karabakh Armenian authorities. Despite rumours that the parties were again close to a solution, the Azerbaijani authorities, both during Heydar Aliyev's period of office and after the accession of his son Ilham Aliyev in the October 2003 elections, have firmly denied that any agreement was reached in Paris or Key West.

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 the withdrawal of the occupying forces from the Azeri territories adjacent to Mountainous Karabakh, and holding referenda 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 the BBC
• ArtsakhWorld.com – an Armenian site about Nagorno-Karabakh
• Karabakh.org– an Azeri site about Nagorno-Karabakh
• 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