Nagorno-Karabakh
A part of Caucasian Albania called Artsakh, the area was taken by Armenia in the 1st cent.
The autonomous status of the region was abolished in 1989 amid Armenian nationalist demands that the region be included in Armenia, and it became a focal point in a war between the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan. By the end of 1993, Armenians had won control of most of the region as well as neighboring parts of Azerbaijan to the west and south; some 30,000 died in the fighting. An unofficial cease-fire was reached in 1994 with Russian negotiation; it largely held, but recurring clashes occurred in subsequent decades, mostly on a smaller scale but sometimes intense.
In 1996, Nagorno-Karabakh's parliament declared the region independent, and ten years later voters approved a new constitution that affirmed that move. Neither action was internationally recognized. A final political resolution to the situation was not negotiated, and the region effectively became part of Armenia.
The conflict was renewed in Sept., 2020; Azerbaijani forces attacked first in the north, and then with more success in the south, capturing former areas of Azerbaijan and Shusha, and approaching the Armenian capital of Stepanakert when a cease-fire was declared in November. The agreement called Azerbaijan to retain its gains, for Armenian forces to cede parts of Azerbaijan held since 1994, for Armenian forces to retain control of areas in Nagorno-Karabakh they still held, and for Russian peacekeepers to enforce the peace and keep access routes open. Some 6,000 troops were reported to have been killed in the conflict. Subsequently, there were accusations of war crimes by both sides, but especially by Azerbaijan's forces, during the conflict.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: CIS and Baltic Political Geography