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Situated in south-western Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is a richly fertile area of striking beauty scarred by its violent history. The word Karabakh has Turkic and Persian roots and means "black garden". The word Nagorno is from the Russian and means mountainous.
Overview
The ongoing bitter rivalry for control between ethnic Armenians and Azeris has roots dating back well over a century into competition between Christian Armenian and Muslim Turkic and Persian influences.
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AT-A-GLANCE
Territory is inside Azerbaijan, but population is mainly ethnic Armenian
War followed 1991 declaration of independence; up to 30,000 killed, more than one million fled their homes
Ceasefire signed in 1994, but peace talks are bogged down and refugees remain stranded
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Populated for hundreds of years by Armenian and Turkic farmers, herdsmen and traders, Karabakh became part of the Russian empire in the 19th century. Armenia insists that it was part of an early Christian kingdom, citing the presence of ancient churches as evidence. Azeri historians argue that the churches were built by the Caucasian Albanians, a Christian nation whom they regard as among the forebears of the Azeri people. Islam arrived in the region more than a millennium ago. For long periods Christian Armenians and Turkic Azeris lived in peace but they were both guilty of acts of brutality in the early 20th century. These live on in the popular memory and fuel mutual antagonism.
There have been many deaths to mourn
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The end of World War I and the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia brought carving up of borders. As part of their divide-and-rule policy in the area, the Soviets established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, of which the population was predominantly ethnic Armenian, within Azerbaijan in the early 1920s. Armenian discontent at this situation smouldered throughout the Soviet period. Ethnic Armenian-Azeri frictions exploded into furious violence in the late 1980s in the twilight years of the USSR. As the violence escalated, the ethnic Azeri population fled Karabakh and Armenia while ethnic Armenians fled the rest of Azerbaijan. With the break-up of the Soviet Union, in late 1991, Karabakh declared itself an independent republic. That de facto status remains unrecognised elsewhere. Although there was no formal declaration of war, there was large-scale combat between Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces. That fighting ultimately brought victory for the ethnic Armenians who then pushed on to occupy Azerbaijani territory outside Karabakh, creating a buffer zone linking Karabakh and Armenia. Ceasefire A Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in 1994 leaving Karabakh de facto under ethnic Armenian control. The deal also left swathes of Azeri territory around the enclave in Armenian hands. No final settlement has ever been signed. Both sides have had soldiers killed in sporadic breaches of the ceasefire. The closure of borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan has caused landlocked Armenia severe economic problems for nearly 15 years.
The territory's future is unresolved
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It is estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 people lost their lives during half a decade of conflict, and that more than one million fled their homes. The Azeris have yet to return to areas of Azerbaijan now under ethnic Armenian control and have little prospect of returning to Karabakh itself. Similarly, the Armenians who fled Azerbaijan during the conflict have not returned there. The ethnic Armenians who now account for virtually the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh prefer to call it Artsakh, an ancient name dating back around 1,500 years. The situation throughout over a decade since the ceasefire agreement has been one of simmering stalemate. Azeris bitterly resent the loss of the land which they regard as rightfully theirs. The Armenians show no sign of willingness to compromise or give one square centimetre of it back. Russia, France and the US co-chair the OSCE's Minsk Group, which has been attempting to broker an end to the dispute for over a decade. In 1997 the group tabled settlement proposals seen as a starting point for negotiations by Azerbaijan and Armenia but not by the de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh itself. When the then Armenian president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, tried to encourage Nagorno-Karabakh to enter into talks he was forced to resign amid cries of betrayal.
Thaw Azerbaiijan declared illegitimate a referendum held in the region in December 2006. The vote approved a new constitution and referred to Karabakh as a sovereign state. Nonetheless, there have since been signs of life in the peace process, with occasional meetings between the Armenian and Azeri presidents. These contacts have yet to show tangible results, although Armenia's Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijan's Ilham Aliyev agreed in November 2008 to intensify their efforts to find a political settlement. They said they made significant progress at talks in Prague in May 2009 on the sidelines of the EU's Eastern Partnership summit.
Facts
Territory: Nagorno-Karabakh Status: de jure part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, unilaterally declared itself an independent republic in 1991 - Capital: Stepanakert/Xankandi
- Area: 4,400 sq km
- Main religion: Christianity
- Languages spoken: Armenian, Russian
- Currency in use: Dram
Leaders
President: Bako Sahakyan Bako Sahakyan became president in October 2007, replacing Arkadiy Gukasyan, who was barred from seeking a third term. The head of the unrecognized republic's security service from 2001 to 2007, Mr Sahakyan won 85% of the vote after campaigning as an independent backed by the governing Democratic Party. The former security chief's landslide victory was widely viewed as a reflection of voters fear that Azerbaijan may try to retake the territory by force. Mr Sahakyan says his main priority will be to gain international recognition of its independence, and wants Nagorno-Karabakh to be given full representation at any talks on the way forward. Prime minister: Arayik Harutyunyan
Media
The authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh operate radio and TV services. Locals can also receive broadcasts from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. The press Television and radio - Public TV and Radio Company of Nagorno-Karabakh
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