The essence and history of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. How the Karabakh conflict began: the legendary general reveals the details

19.10.2019

The conflict between Azerbaijan, on the one hand, and Armenia and the NKR, on the other, escalated on April 2, 2016: the parties accused each other of shelling the border areas, after which positional battles began. At least 33 people were killed in the fighting, according to the UN.

Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenians prefer to use the old name Artsakh) is a small territory in the Transcaucasus. Mountains cut by deep gorges, turning into valleys in the east, small fast rivers, forests below and steppes higher up the mountain slopes, a cool climate without sudden changes in temperature. From ancient times, this territory was inhabited by Armenians, was part of various Armenian states and principalities, and numerous monuments of Armenian history and culture are located on its territory.

At the same time, a significant Turkic population has been penetrating here since the 18th century (the term "Azerbaijanis" was not yet accepted), the territory is part of the Karabakh Khanate, which was ruled by a Turkic dynasty, and the majority of the population of which were Muslim Turks.

In the first half of the 19th century, as a result of wars with Turkey, Persia and individual khanates, the entire Transcaucasus, including Nagorno-Karabakh, goes to Russia. Somewhat later, it was divided into provinces without regard to ethnicity. So Nagorno-Karabakh at the beginning of the 20th century was part of the Elizavetpol province, most of which was inhabited by Azerbaijanis.

By 1918, the Russian Empire had disintegrated as a result of well-known revolutionary events. Transcaucasia has become the scene of a bloody inter-ethnic struggle, which was held back for the time being Russian authorities(It is worth noting that during the previous weakening of imperial power during the revolution of 1905-1907, Karabakh was already becoming the scene of clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.). The newly formed state of Azerbaijan claimed the entire territory of the former Elizavetpol province.

The Armenians, who constituted the majority in Nagorno-Karabakh, wished either to be independent or to join the Armenian Republic. The situation was accompanied by military clashes. Even when both states, Armenia and Azerbaijan, became Soviet republics, a territorial dispute continued between them. It was decided in favor of Azerbaijan, but with reservations: most of the territories with the Armenian population were allocated to the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAR) as part of the Azerbaijan SSR.

The reasons why the Union leadership made such a decision are unclear. As assumptions, the influence of Turkey (in favor of Azerbaijan), the greater influence of the Azerbaijani "lobby" in the union leadership compared to the Armenian one, Moscow's desire to maintain a hotbed of tension in order to act as the supreme arbiter, etc. are put forward.

In Soviet times, the conflict quietly smoldered, breaking through either with the petitions of the Armenian public for the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, or with the measures of the Azerbaijani leadership to creep out the Armenian population from the regions adjacent to the autonomous region. The abscess broke through as soon as the allied power weakened during the "perestroika".

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh became a landmark for the Soviet Union. He clearly showed the growing helplessness of the central leadership. He demonstrated for the first time that the Union, which seemed indestructible in accordance with the words of his anthem, can be destroyed. In some way it is upland- Karabakh conflict became the catalyst for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Thus, its significance goes far beyond the region. It is difficult to say which way the history of the USSR, and hence the whole world, would have gone if Moscow had found the strength to quickly resolve this dispute.

The conflict began in 1987 with mass rallies of the Armenian population under the slogans of reunification with Armenia. The Azerbaijani leadership, with the support of the Union, unambiguously rejects these demands. Attempts to resolve the situation are reduced to holding meetings and issuing documents.

In the same year, the first Azerbaijani refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh appear. In 1988, the first blood was shed - two Azerbaijanis died in a clash with Armenians and police in the village of Askeran. Information about this incident leads to an Armenian pogrom in Azerbaijani Sumgayit. This is the first case of mass ethnic violence in the Soviet Union in several decades and the first death bell toll on Soviet unity. Further violence grows, the flow of refugees from both sides increases. The central government demonstrates helplessness, the adoption of real decisions is at the mercy of the republican authorities. The actions of the latter (the deportation of the Armenian population and the economic blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan, the proclamation of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the Armenian SSR by Armenia) inflame the situation.

Since 1990, the conflict has escalated into a war with the use of artillery. Illegal armed formations are active. The leadership of the USSR is trying to use force (mainly against the Armenian side), but it's too late - the Soviet Union itself ceases to exist. Independent Azerbaijan proclaims Nagorno-Karabakh as its part. The NKAR declares independence within the boundaries of the autonomous region and the Shahumyan region of the Azerbaijan SSR.

The war lasted until 1994, accompanied by war crimes and heavy civilian casualties on both sides. Many cities were turned into ruins. On the one hand, the armies of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia participated in it, on the other, the armies of Azerbaijan, with the support of Muslim volunteers from different countries world (usually mention the Afghan Mujahideen and Chechen fighters). The war ended after the decisive victories of the Armenian side, which established control over most of Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent regions of Azerbaijan. After that, the parties agreed to the mediation of the CIS (primarily Russia). Since then, a fragile peace has been maintained in Nagorno-Karabakh, sometimes broken by skirmishes on the border, but the problem is far from being solved.

Azerbaijan firmly insists on its territorial integrity, agreeing to discuss only the autonomy of the republic. The Armenian side just as firmly insists on the independence of Karabakh. The main obstacle to constructive negotiations is the mutual exasperation of the parties. By setting the peoples against each other (or at least not preventing the incitement of hatred), the authorities fell into a trap - now it is impossible for them to take a step towards the other side without being accused of betrayal.

The depth of the abyss between the peoples is well seen in the coverage of the conflict by both sides. There is no hint of objectivity. The parties unanimously keep silent about unfavorable pages of history for themselves and immensely inflate the crimes of the enemy.

The Armenian side focuses on historical affiliation territories of Armenia, on the illegality of the inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh in the Azerbaijan SSR, on the right of peoples to self-determination. The crimes of Azerbaijanis against the civilian population are depicted - such as pogroms in Sumgayit, Baku, etc. At the same time, real events acquire clearly exaggerated features - such as the story of mass cannibalism in Sumgayit. Azerbaijan's connection with international Islamic terrorism is being raised. From the conflict, the accusations are transferred to the structure of the Azerbaijani state in general.

The Azerbaijani side, in turn, rests on the long-standing ties between Karabakh and Azerbaijan (remembering the Turkic Karabakh Khanate), on the principle of inviolability of borders. The crimes of Armenian militants are also commemorated, while their own are completely forgotten. The connection of Armenia with the international Armenian terrorism is pointed out. Unflattering conclusions are drawn about the world Armenians as a whole.

In such an environment, it is extremely difficult for international mediators to act, especially given the fact that the mediators themselves represent different world forces and act in different interests.

The parties declare their determination to uphold the principled positions - the integrity of Azerbaijan and the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, respectively. Perhaps this conflict will be resolved only when generations change and the intensity of hatred between peoples weakens.

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15 years ago (1994) Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed the Bishkek Protocol on ceasefire on May 12, 1994 in the Karabakh conflict zone.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Transcaucasia, de jure part of Azerbaijan. The population is 138 thousand people, the vast majority are Armenians. The capital is the city of Stepanakert. The population is about 50 thousand people.

According to Armenian open sources, Nagorno-Karabakh (the ancient Armenian name is Artsakh) was first mentioned in the inscription of Sardur II, king of Urartu (763-734 BC). In the early Middle Ages, Nagorno-Karabakh was part of Armenia, according to Armenian sources. After most of this country was captured by Turkey and Iran in the Middle Ages, the Armenian principalities (melikdoms) of Nagorno-Karabakh retained a semi-independent status.

According to Azerbaijani sources, Karabakh is one of the most ancient historical regions of Azerbaijan. According to the official version, the appearance of the term "Karabakh" dates back to the 7th century and is interpreted as a combination of the Azerbaijani words "gara" (black) and "bag" (garden). Among other provinces of Karabakh (Ganja in Azerbaijani terminology) in the 16th century. was part of the Safavid state, later became an independent Karabakh khanate.

According to the Kurekchay Treaty of 1805, the Karabakh Khanate, as a Muslim-Azerbaijani land, was subordinated to Russia. V 1813 Under the Gulistan Peace Treaty, Nagorno-Karabakh became part of Russia. In the first third of the 19th century, according to the Treaty of Turkmenchay and the Treaty of Edirne, the artificial placement of Armenians resettled from Iran and Turkey began in Northern Azerbaijan, including in Karabakh.

On May 28, 1918, the independent state of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was created in Northern Azerbaijan, which retained its political power over Karabakh. At the same time, the declared Armenian (Ararat) Republic put forward its claims to Karabakh, which were not recognized by the government of the ADR. In January 1919, the ADR government created the Karabakh province, which included the Shusha, Javanshir, Jabrayil and Zangezur districts.

V July 1921 By decision of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), Nagorno-Karabakh was included in the Azerbaijan SSR on the basis of broad autonomy. In 1923, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was formed on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan.

February 20, 1988 Extraordinary session of the Regional Council of Deputies of the NKAR adopted a decision "On the petition to the Supreme Soviets of the AzSSR and the ArmSSR on the transfer of the NKAO from the AzSSR to the ArmSSR." The refusal of the allied and Azerbaijani authorities caused demonstrations of protest by Armenians not only in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also in Yerevan.

On September 2, 1991, a joint session of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional and Shahumyan district councils. The session adopted a Declaration on the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, the Shahumyan region and part of the Khanlar region of the former Azerbaijan SSR.

December 10, 1991, a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which the vast majority of the population - 99.89% - voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan.

Official Baku recognized this act as illegal and abolished the autonomy of Karabakh that existed in the Soviet years. Following this, an armed conflict began, during which Azerbaijan tried to keep Karabakh, and the Armenian detachments defended the independence of the region with the support of Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora from other countries.

During the conflict, regular Armenian units completely or partially captured seven regions that Azerbaijan considered its own. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the same time, the Armenian side believes that part of Karabakh remains under the control of Azerbaijan - the villages of the Mardakert and Martuni regions, the entire Shaumyan region and the Getashen sub-region, as well as Nakhichevan.

In the description of the conflict, the parties give their own figures on losses, which differ from those of the opposite side. According to consolidated data, the losses of both sides during the Karabakh conflict amounted to 15 to 25 thousand people killed, more than 25 thousand wounded, hundreds of thousands of civilians left their places of residence.

May 5, 1994 Through the mediation of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed a protocol that went down in the history of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict as Bishkek, on the basis of which an agreement on a ceasefire was reached on May 12.

On May 12 of the same year, a meeting was held in Moscow between the Minister of Defense of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan (now the President of Armenia), the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Mammadraffi Mammadov and the commander of the NKR Defense Army Samvel Babayan, at which the commitment of the parties to the previously reached ceasefire agreement was confirmed.

The negotiation process to resolve the conflict began in 1991. September 23, 1991 A meeting of the Presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Armenia took place in Zheleznovodsk. In March 1992, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was established to resolve the Karabakh conflict, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. In mid-September 1993, the first meeting of representatives of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh took place in Moscow. At about the same time, a private meeting was held in Moscow between Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and then-Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Robert Kocharyan. Since 1999, regular meetings have been held between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Azerbaijan insists on maintaining its territorial integrity, Armenia defends the interests of the unrecognized republic, since the unrecognized NKR is not a party to the negotiations.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Transcaucasia, which is legally the territory of Azerbaijan. At the time of the collapse of the USSR, a military clash arose here, since the vast majority of the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh have Armenian roots. The essence of the conflict is that Azerbaijan makes quite reasonable demands on this territory, but the inhabitants of the region gravitate towards Armenia more. On May 12, 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh ratified a protocol that established a truce, which resulted in an unconditional ceasefire in the conflict zone.

Excursion into history

Armenian historical sources claim that Artsakh (the ancient Armenian name) was first mentioned in the 8th century BC. According to these sources, Nagorno-Karabakh was part of Armenia in the early Middle Ages. As a result of the aggressive wars of Turkey and Iran in this era, a significant part of Armenia came under the control of these countries. The Armenian principalities, or melikdoms, at that time located on the territory of modern Karabakh, retained a semi-independent status.

Azerbaijan has its own point of view on this issue. According to local researchers, Karabakh is one of the most ancient historical regions of their country. The word "Karabakh" in Azerbaijani is translated as follows: "gara" means black, and "bag" means garden. Already in the 16th century, together with other provinces, Karabakh was part of the Safavid state, and after that it became an independent khanate.

Nagorno-Karabakh during the Russian Empire

In 1805, the Karabakh khanate was subordinated to the Russian Empire, and in 1813, under the Gulistan peace treaty, Nagorno-Karabakh also became part of Russia. Then, according to the Turkmenchay Treaty, as well as an agreement concluded in the city of Edirne, Armenians were resettled from Turkey and Iran and settled in the territories of Northern Azerbaijan, including Karabakh. Thus, the population of these lands is predominantly of Armenian origin.

As part of the USSR

In 1918, the newly created Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gained control over Karabakh. Almost simultaneously, the Armenian Republic makes claims to this area, but the ADR does not recognize these claims. In 1921, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh with the rights of broad autonomy was included in the Azerbaijan SSR. Two years later, Karabakh receives the status of an autonomous region (NKAR).

In 1988, the Council of Deputies of the NKAO petitioned the authorities of the AzSSR and the ArmSSR of the republics and proposed to transfer the disputed territory to Armenia. This petition was not granted, as a result of which a wave of protest swept through the cities of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. Solidarity demonstrations were also held in Yerevan.

Declaration of Independence

In the early autumn of 1991, when the Soviet Union had already begun to fall apart, the NKAO adopted a Declaration proclaiming the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Moreover, in addition to the NKAO, it included part of the territories of the former AzSSR. According to the results of the referendum held on December 10 of the same year in Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 99% of the population of the region voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan.

It is quite obvious that the referendum was not recognized by the Azerbaijani authorities, and the act of proclamation itself was designated as illegal. Moreover, Baku decided to abolish the autonomy of Karabakh, which it enjoyed in Soviet times. However, the destructive process has already been launched.

Karabakh conflict

For the independence of the self-proclaimed republic, Armenian detachments stood up, which Azerbaijan tried to resist. Nagorno-Karabakh received support from official Yerevan, as well as from the national diaspora in other countries, so the militia managed to defend the region. However, the Azerbaijani authorities still managed to establish control over several regions, which were initially proclaimed part of the NKR.

Each of the opposing sides cites its own statistics of losses in the Karabakh conflict. Comparing these data, we can conclude that 15-25 thousand people died in the three years of sorting out the relationship. At least 25,000 were wounded, and more than 100,000 civilians were forced to leave their places of residence.

Peace settlement

Negotiations, during which the parties tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, began almost immediately after an independent NKR was proclaimed. For example, on September 23, 1991, a meeting was held, which was attended by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as Russia and Kazakhstan. In the spring of 1992, the OSCE established a group for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Despite all the attempts of the international community to stop the bloodshed, it was not until the spring of 1994 that a ceasefire was achieved. On May 5, the Bishkek Protocol was signed in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, after which the participants ceased fire a week later.

The parties to the conflict failed to agree on the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan demands respect for its sovereignty and insists on maintaining its territorial integrity. The interests of the self-proclaimed republic are protected by Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh is in favor of a peaceful resolution of controversial issues, while the authorities of the republic emphasize that the NKR is able to stand up for its independence.

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Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. reference

(updated: 11:02 05.05.2009)

15 years ago (1994) Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed the Bishkek Protocol on ceasefire on May 12, 1994 in the Karabakh conflict zone.

15 years ago (1994) Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed the Bishkek Protocol on ceasefire on May 12, 1994 in the Karabakh conflict zone.

February 20, 1988 Extraordinary session of the Regional Council of Deputies of the NKAR adopted a decision "On the petition to the Supreme Soviets of the AzSSR and the ArmSSR on the transfer of the NKAO from the AzSSR to the ArmSSR". The refusal of the allied and Azerbaijani authorities caused demonstrations of protest by Armenians not only in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also in Yerevan.

On September 2, 1991, a joint session of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional and Shahumyan regional councils was held in Stepanakert. The session adopted a Declaration on the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, the Shahumyan region and part of the Khanlar region of the former Azerbaijan SSR.

During the conflict, regular Armenian units completely or partially captured seven regions that Azerbaijan considered its own. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan insists on maintaining its territorial integrity, Armenia defends the interests of the unrecognized republic, since the unrecognized NKR is not a party to the negotiations.

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Karabakh conflict

The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, located in the Armenian Highlands, has an area of 4.5 thousand square meters. kilometers.

The Karabakh conflict, which has become the cause of hatred and mutual enmity between the once friendly peoples, is rooted in the twenties of the last century. It was at this time that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, now called Artsakh, turned into a bone of contention between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Even before the October Revolution, these two republics, drawn into the Karabakh conflict, along with neighboring Georgia, took part in territorial disputes. And in the spring of 1920, the current Azerbaijanis, whom the Russians called "Caucasian Tatars", with the support of the Turkish interventionists, massacred the Armenians, who at that time made up 94% of the entire population of Artsakh. The main blow fell on the administrative center - the city of Shushi, where more than 25 thousand people were slaughtered. The Armenian part of the city was wiped off the face of the earth.

But the Azerbaijanis miscalculated: having killed the Armenians, having destroyed Shushi, they, although they became masters in the region, received a completely destroyed economy, which had to be restored for more than a dozen years.

The Bolsheviks, not wanting to flare up full-scale hostilities, recognize Artsakh as one of the parts of Armenia, along with two regions - Zangezur and Nakhichevan.

However, Joseph Stalin, who in those years served as People's Commissar for National Affairs, under pressure from Baku and the then leader of the Turks, Ataturk, forcibly changes the status of the republic and transfers it to Azerbaijan.

This decision causes a storm of indignation and indignation among the Armenian population. In fact, it was it that provoked the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Almost a hundred years have passed since then. In subsequent years, Artsakh, being part of Azerbaijan, secretly continued to fight for its independence. Letters were sent to Moscow in which it was said that official Baku was trying to expel all Armenians from this mountainous republic, however, the answer to all these complaints and requests for reunification with Armenia was the same: “socialist internationalism”.

The Karabakh conflict, the causes of which lie in the violation of the people's right to self-determination, arose against the backdrop of a very alarming situation. In relation to the Armenians in 1988, an open policy of eviction began. The situation was heating up.

In the meantime, official Baku developed its own plan, according to which the Karabakh conflict was to be “resolved”: in the city of Sumgayit, all the living Armenians were massacred in one night.

At the same time, multi-million rallies began in Yerevan, the main demand of which was to consider the possibility of Karabakh secession from Azerbaijan, the response to which were actions in Kirovabad.

It was at this time that the first refugees appeared in the USSR, who left their homes in a panic.

Thousands of people, mostly old people, came to Armenia, where camps were set up for them all over the territory.

The Karabakh conflict gradually developed into a real war. Volunteer detachments were created in Armenia, and regular troops were sent from Azerbaijan to Karabakh. Famine began in the republic.

In 1992, the Armenians captured Lachin, the corridor between Armenia and Artsakh, ending the blockade of the republic. At the same time, significant territories were seized in Azerbaijan itself.

The unrecognized republic of Artsakh, after the collapse of the USSR, held a referendum at which it was decided to declare its independence.

In 1994, a tripartite agreement on the cessation of hostilities was signed in Bishkek with the participation of Russia.

The Karabakh conflict is one of the most tragic pages of reality to this day. That is why both Russia and the entire world community are trying to resolve it peacefully.

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History of the disaster. How the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began | History | Society

In a series of interethnic conflicts that engulfed the Soviet Union in the last years of its existence, Nagorno-Karabakh became the first. The restructuring policy launched Mikhail Gorbachev, was tested for strength by the events in Karabakh. The audit showed the complete failure of the new Soviet leadership.

A region with a complex history

Nagorno-Karabakh, a small piece of land in the Transcaucasus, has an ancient and difficult fate, where the life paths of neighbors - Armenians and Azerbaijanis are intertwined.

The geographical region of Karabakh is divided into flat and mountainous parts. In Plain Karabakh, the Azerbaijani population historically prevailed, in Nagorno - Armenian.

Wars, peace, wars again - and so the peoples lived side by side, now at enmity, now reconciling. After the collapse Russian Empire Karabakh became the scene of a fierce Armenian-Azerbaijani war of 1918-1920. The confrontation, in which nationalists played the main role on both sides, came to naught only after the establishment of Soviet power in the Transcaucasus.

In the summer of 1921, after a heated discussion, the Central Committee of the RCP (b) decided to leave Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the Azerbaijan SSR and grant it wide regional autonomy.

The Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh, which became the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1937, preferred to consider itself part of the Soviet Union rather than part of the Azerbaijan SSR.

"Defrosting" mutual grievances

For many years, these subtleties were ignored in Moscow. Attempts in the 1960s to raise the topic of the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian SSR were severely suppressed - then the central leadership considered that such nationalist encroachments should be nipped in the bud.

But the Armenian population of the NKAO still had a reason for concern. If in 1923 Armenians made up over 90 percent of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, by the mid-1980s this percentage had dropped to 76. This was no accident - the leadership of the Azerbaijan SSR deliberately staked on changing the ethnic component of the region.

While the situation in the country as a whole remained stable, everything was calm in Nagorno-Karabakh too. Minor skirmishes on national grounds were not taken seriously.

Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika, among other things, "unfrozen" the discussion of previously taboo topics. For the nationalists, whose existence until now was possible only in the deep underground, this was a real gift of fate.

It was in Chardakhlu

Big things always start small. The Armenian village of Chardakhly existed in the Shamkhor region of Azerbaijan. During the Great Patriotic War, 1250 people went to the front from the village. Of these, half were awarded orders and medals, two became marshals, twelve - generals, seven - Heroes of the Soviet Union.

In 1987 secretary of the district committee of the Asadov party decided to replace director of the local state farm Yegiyan on the leader-Azerbaijani.

The villagers were outraged not even by the dismissal of Yegiyan, who was accused of abuse, but by the way it was done. Asadov acted rudely, impudently, suggesting that the former director "leave for Yerevan." In addition, the new director, according to the locals, was "a barbeque with a primary education."

The inhabitants of Chardakhlu were not afraid of the Nazis, they were not afraid of the head of the district committee either. They simply refused to recognize the new appointee, and Asadov began to threaten the villagers.

From a letter from Chardakhly residents to the USSR Prosecutor General: “Every visit of Asadov to the village is accompanied by a detachment of police and a fire engine. There was no exception and the first of December. Arriving with a police detachment late in the evening, he forcibly gathered the communists in order to hold the party meeting he needed. When he did not succeed, they began to beat the people, arrested and took 15 people on a pre-arrived bus. Among those beaten and arrested were participants and invalids of the Great Patriotic War ( Vartanian V., Martirosyan X.,Gabrielian A. etc.), milkmaids, advanced link ( Minasyan G.) and even former deputy of the Supreme Council of Az. SSR of many convocations Movsesyan M.

Not satisfied with his atrocity, the misanthropic Asadov again on December 2, with an even larger police detachment, organized another pogrom in his homeland Marshal Baghramyan on his 90th birthday. This time 30 people were beaten and arrested. Such sadism and lawlessness would be the envy of any racist from the colonial countries.”

“We want to go to Armenia!”

An article about the events in Chardakhly was published in the newspaper Selskaya Zhizn. If the center did not attach much importance to what was happening, then in Nagorno-Karabakh a wave of indignation arose among the Armenian population. How so? Why does the unbelted functionary go unpunished? What will happen next?

“The same thing will happen to us if we don't join Armenia,” - who and when said it first is not so important. The main thing is that already at the beginning of 1988, the official press organ of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan and the Council people's deputies NKAO "Soviet Karabakh" began to publish materials that supported this idea.

Delegations of the Armenian intelligentsia went to Moscow one after another. Meeting with representatives of the Central Committee of the CPSU, they assured that in the 1920s Nagorno-Karabakh was assigned to Azerbaijan by mistake, and now is the time to correct it. In Moscow, in the light of the policy of perestroika, the delegates were received, promising to study the issue. In Nagorno-Karabakh, this was perceived as the readiness of the center to support the transfer of the region to the Azerbaijan SSR.

The situation began to heat up. Slogans, especially from the lips of young people, sounded more and more radical. People far from politics began to fear for their safety. They began to look at neighbors of a different nationality with suspicion.

The leadership of the Azerbaijan SSR held a meeting of party and economic activists in the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, at which they branded "separatists" and "nationalists". The stigma was, in general, correct, but, on the other hand, did not give answers to the question of how to live on. Among the party activists of Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority supported calls for the transfer of the region to Armenia.

Politburo for all good things

The situation began to get out of control of the authorities. Since mid-February 1988, a rally was held almost non-stop in the central square of Stepanakert, the participants of which demanded the transfer of the NKAR to Armenia. Actions in support of this demand began in Yerevan as well.

On February 20, 1988, an extraordinary session of people's deputies of the NKAR addressed the Supreme Soviets of the Armenian SSR, the Azerbaijan SSR and the USSR with a request to consider and positively resolve the issue of transferring the NKAO from Azerbaijan to Armenia: The Supreme Council of the Armenian SSR to show a deep understanding of the aspirations of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and resolve the issue of transferring the NKAO from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR, at the same time petition the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for a positive decision on the issue of transferring the NKAR from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR " ,

Every action creates a reaction. Mass actions began to take place in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan demanding to stop the attacks of Armenian extremists and keep Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the republic.

On February 21, the situation was considered at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. What Moscow decides was closely monitored by both sides of the conflict.

“Consistently guided by the Leninist principles of national policy, the Central Committee of the CPSU appealed to the patriotic and internationalist feelings of the Armenian and Azerbaijani population with a call not to succumb to the provocations of nationalist elements, to strengthen in every possible way the great heritage of socialism - the fraternal friendship of the Soviet peoples,” the text published after the discussion said. .

Probably, this was the essence of Mikhail Gorbachev's policy - general correct phrases about everything good and against everything bad. But persuasion didn't help. While the creative intelligentsia spoke at rallies and in the press, the local radicals more and more often controlled the process.

Rally in the center of Yerevan in February 1988. Photo: RIA Novosti / Ruben Mangasaryan

First blood and pogrom in Sumgayit

The Shusha region of Nagorno-Karabakh was the only one in which the Azerbaijani population predominated. The situation here was fueled by rumors that in Yerevan and Stepanakert "Azerbaijani women and children are being brutally murdered." There were no real grounds for these rumors, but they were enough for an armed crowd of Azerbaijanis to start a “campaign to Stepanakert” on February 22 to “put things in order”.

Near the village of Askeran, the distraught avengers were met by police cordons. It was not possible to reason with the crowd, shots were fired. Two people were killed, and, ironically, one of the first victims of the conflict was an Azerbaijani who was killed by an Azerbaijani policeman.

The real explosion occurred where they were not expected - in Sumgayit, a satellite city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. At that time, people began to appear there, calling themselves "refugees from Karabakh" and talking about the horrors committed by the Armenians. In fact, there was not a word of truth in the stories of the "refugees", but they heated up the situation.

Sumgayit, founded in 1949, was a multinational city - Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Russians, Jews, Ukrainians lived and worked here for decades ... Nobody was ready for what happened in the last days of February 1988.

It is believed that the last straw was a TV report about a skirmish near Askeran, where two Azerbaijanis were killed. A rally in Sumgayit in support of the preservation of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan turned into an action at which the slogans “Death to the Armenians!” began to sound.

Local authorities and law enforcement agencies could not stop what was happening. Pogroms began in the city, which lasted for two days.

According to official figures, 26 Armenians died in Sumgayit, hundreds were injured. It was possible to stop the madness only after the introduction of troops. But even here everything turned out to be not so simple - at first the military was ordered to exclude the use of weapons. Only after the number of wounded soldiers and officers exceeded a hundred, patience snapped. Six Azerbaijanis were added to the dead Armenians, after which the riots ceased.

Exodus

The blood of Sumgayit has made ending the conflict in Karabakh an extremely difficult task. For Armenians, this pogrom became a reminder of the massacres in the Ottoman Empire that took place at the beginning of the 20th century. In Stepanakert they repeated: “Look what they are doing? Can we stay in Azerbaijan after that?”

Despite the fact that Moscow began to use tough measures, there was no logic in them. It happened that two members of the Politburo, coming to Yerevan and Baku, made mutually exclusive promises. The authority of the central government fell catastrophically.

After Sumgayit, the exodus of Azerbaijanis from Armenia and Armenians from Azerbaijan began. Frightened people, leaving everything acquired, fled from their neighbors, who suddenly became enemies.

It would be unfair to talk only about the scum. Not all of them were knocked down - during the pogroms in Sumgayit, the Azerbaijanis, often risking their own lives, hid the Armenians. In Stepanakert, where the "avengers" started hunting the Azerbaijanis, they were rescued by the Armenians.

But these worthy people could not stop the growing conflict. Here and there, new clashes broke out, which did not have time to stop the internal troops brought into the region.

The general crisis that began in the USSR increasingly diverted the attention of politicians from the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh. Neither side was ready to make concessions. By the beginning of 1990, illegal armed formations on both sides launched hostilities, the number of dead and wounded was already in the tens and hundreds.

Servicemen of the USSR Ministry of Defense on the streets of the city of Fizuli. Introduction of a state of emergency on the territory of the NKAR, the regions of the Azerbaijan SSR bordering it. Photo: RIA Novosti / Igor Mikhalev

Education in hate

Immediately after the August putsch of 1991, when the central government practically ceased to exist, independence was proclaimed not only by Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Since September 1991, what is happening in the region has become a war in the full sense of the word. And when, at the end of the year, units of the internal troops of the already defunct USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh, no one else could prevent the massacre.

The Karabakh war, which lasted until May 1994, ended with the signing of an armistice agreement. The total losses of the parties killed by independent experts are estimated at 25-30 thousand people.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has existed as an unrecognized state for more than a quarter of a century. The Azerbaijani authorities still declare their intention to regain control over the lost territories. Fighting of varying intensity on the contact line breaks out regularly.

On both sides, people will be blinded by hatred. Even a neutral comment about a neighboring country is seen as a national betrayal. From an early age, children are instilled with the idea of who is the main enemy that must be destroyed.

“From where and for what, neighbor,
So many troubles have fallen on us?

Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan in 1909 he wrote the poem "A drop of honey". In Soviet times, it was well known to schoolchildren in the translation of Samuil Marshak. Tumanyan, who died in 1923, could not have known what would happen in Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of the 20th century. But this a wise man, who knew history well, in one poem showed how sometimes monstrous fratricidal conflicts arise from mere trifles. Do not be too lazy to find and read it in full, and we will give only its ending:

... And the fire of war blazed,
And two countries are ruined
And there is no one to mow the field,
And there is no one to carry the dead.
And only death, ringing scythe,
Wandering through the desert...
Leaning at the gravestones
Alive to Alive says:
- Where and for what, neighbor,
So many troubles have fallen on us?
Here the story ends.
And if any of you
Ask the narrator a question
Who is more guilty here - a cat or a dog,
And is it really so much evil
Crazy fly brought -
The people will answer for us:
There will be flies - there would be honey! ..

P.S. The Armenian village of Chardakhlu, the birthplace of the heroes, ceased to exist at the end of 1988. More than 300 families inhabiting it moved to Armenia, where they settled in the village of Zorakan. Previously, this village was Azerbaijani, but with the outbreak of the conflict, its inhabitants became refugees, just like the inhabitants of Chardakhlu.

www.aif.ru

The Karabakh conflict in brief: the essence of the war and news from the front

On April 2, 2016, the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense announced that the armed forces of Azerbaijan had launched an offensive along the entire area of contact with the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army. The Azerbaijani side reported that the hostilities began in response to the shelling of its territory.

The press service of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) stated that Azerbaijani troops went on the offensive in many sectors of the front, using large-caliber artillery, tanks and helicopters. Within a few days, official representatives of Azerbaijan announced the occupation of several strategic important heights and settlements. In several sectors of the front, the attacks were repulsed by the armed forces of the NKR.

After several days of heavy fighting across the front line, military representatives from both sides met to discuss terms for a ceasefire. It was reached on April 5, although, after this date, the truce was repeatedly violated by both sides. On the whole, however, the situation at the front began to calm down. The Azerbaijani armed forces have begun to strengthen the positions conquered from the enemy.

The Karabakh conflict is one of the oldest in the expanses of the former USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh became a hot spot even before the collapse of the country and has been in a state of frozen for more than twenty years. Why did it flare up with renewed vigor today, what are the strengths of the opposing sides and what should be expected in the near future? Can this conflict escalate into a full-scale war?

To understand what is happening in this region today, you should make a short digression into history. This is the only way to understand the essence of this war.

Nagorno-Karabakh: prehistory of the conflict

The Karabakh conflict has very old historical and ethno-cultural roots; the situation in this region has escalated significantly in the last years of the Soviet regime.

In ancient times, Karabakh was part of the Armenian kingdom, after its collapse, these lands became part of the Persian Empire. In 1813 Nagorno-Karabakh was annexed to Russia.

Bloody inter-ethnic conflicts took place here more than once, the most serious of which occurred during the weakening of the metropolis: in 1905 and 1917. After the revolution, three states appeared in Transcaucasia: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which included Karabakh. However, this fact absolutely did not suit the Armenians, who at that time made up the majority of the population: the first war began in Karabakh. The Armenians won a tactical victory, but suffered a strategic defeat: the Bolsheviks included Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan.

During the Soviet period, peace was maintained in the region, the issue of transferring Karabakh to Armenia was periodically raised, but did not find support from the country's leadership. Any manifestations of discontent were severely suppressed. In 1987, the first clashes between Armenians and Azerbaijanis began on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to human casualties. The deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO) are asking to be annexed to Armenia.

In 1991, the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) was proclaimed and a large-scale war with Azerbaijan began. The fighting took place until 1994, at the front, the parties used aviation, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery. On May 12, 1994, the ceasefire agreement comes into force, and the Karabakh conflict passes into the frozen stage.

The result of the war was the actual obtaining of independence by the NKR, as well as the occupation of several regions of Azerbaijan adjacent to the border with Armenia. In fact, in this war, Azerbaijan suffered a crushing defeat, did not achieve its goals and lost part of its ancestral territories. This situation absolutely did not suit Baku, which for many years built its internal policy on the desire for revenge and the return of lost lands.

Current balance of power

In the last war, Armenia and the NKR won, Azerbaijan lost territory and was forced to admit defeat. For many years, the Karabakh conflict was in a frozen state, which was accompanied by periodic skirmishes on the front line.

However, during this period, the economic situation of the opposing countries changed greatly, today Azerbaijan has a much more serious military potential. During the years of high oil prices, Baku has managed to modernize the army and equip it with the latest weapons. Russia has always been the main supplier of weapons to Azerbaijan (this caused serious irritation in Yerevan), also modern weapons was purchased in Turkey, Israel, Ukraine and even South Africa. The resources of Armenia did not allow it to qualitatively strengthen the army with new weapons. In Armenia, and in Russia, many thought that this time the conflict would end the same way as in 1994 - that is, with the flight and defeat of the enemy.

If in 2003 Azerbaijan spent $135 million on the armed forces, then in 2018 the costs should exceed $1.7 billion. Baku's military spending peaked in 2013, when $3.7 billion was spent on military needs. For comparison: the entire state budget of Armenia in 2018 amounted to $2.6 billion.

Today, the total strength of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces is 67 thousand people (57 thousand people are ground forces), another 300 thousand are in reserve. It should be noted that in recent years, the Azerbaijani army has been reformed according to the Western model, switching to NATO standards.

The ground forces of Azerbaijan are assembled into five corps, which include 23 brigades. Today, the Azerbaijani army has more than 400 tanks (T-55, T-72 and T-90), and from 2010 to 2014 Russia delivered 100 of the latest T-90s. The number of armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles and armored vehicles - 961 units. Most of them are products of the Soviet military-industrial complex (BMP-1, BMP-2, BTR-69, BTR-70 and MT-LB), but there are also the latest Russian and foreign production(BMP-3, BTR-80A, armored vehicles made in Turkey, Israel and South Africa). Some of the Azerbaijani T-72s have been modernized by the Israelis.

Azerbaijan has almost 700 artillery pieces, including both towed and self-propelled artillery, including rocket artillery. Most of them were obtained during the division of Soviet military property, but there are also newer samples: 18 self-propelled guns "Msta-S", 18 self-propelled guns 2S31 "Vena", 18 MLRS "Smerch" and 18 TOS-1A "Solntsepek". Separately, it should be noted the Israeli MLRS Lynx (caliber 300, 166 and 122 mm), which are superior in their characteristics (primarily in accuracy) to Russian counterparts. In addition, Israel supplied the Azerbaijani Armed Forces with 155-mm self-propelled guns SOLTAM Atmos. Most of the towed artillery is represented by Soviet D-30 howitzers.

Anti-tank artillery is mainly represented by the Soviet anti-tank missiles MT-12 "Rapier", also in service are Soviet-made ATGMs ("Malyutka", "Konkurs", "Fagot", "Metis") and foreign production (Israel - Spike, Ukraine - "Skif "). In 2014, Russia delivered several Khrizantema self-propelled ATGMs.

Russia has delivered serious sapper equipment to Azerbaijan, which can be used to overcome the enemy's fortified zones.

Also, air defense systems were received from Russia: S-300PMU-2 Favorit (two divisions) and several Tor-M2E batteries. There are old "Shilki" and about 150 Soviet complexes "Circle", "Osa" and "Strela-10". There is also a division of the Buk-MB and Buk-M1-2 air defense systems transferred by Russia and a division of the Israeli-made Barak 8 air defense system.

There are operational-tactical complexes "Tochka-U", which were purchased from Ukraine.

Separately, it is worth noting unmanned aircrafts, among which there are even drums. Azerbaijan bought them from Israel.

The country's Air Force is armed with Soviet MiG-29 fighters (16 units), MiG-25 interceptors (20 units), Su-24 and Su-17 bombers, and Su-25 attack aircraft (19 units). In addition, the Azerbaijani Air Force has 40 L-29 and L-39 trainers, 28 Mi-24 attack helicopters and Mi-8 and Mi-17 combat transport helicopters supplied by Russia.

Armenia has a much smaller military potential, due to its more modest share in the Soviet "legacy". Yes, and with finances, Yerevan is much worse - there are no oil fields on its territory.

After the end of the war in 1994, large funds were allocated from the Armenian state budget for the creation of fortifications along the entire front line. The total number of ground forces of Armenia today is 48 thousand people, another 210 thousand are in reserve. Together with the NKR, the country can deploy about 70 thousand fighters, which is comparable to the army of Azerbaijan, but the technical equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces is clearly inferior to the enemy.

The total number of Armenian tanks is just over a hundred units (T-54, T-55 and T-72), armored vehicles - 345, most of them were made at the factories of the USSR. Armenia has practically no money to modernize the army. Russia transfers its old weapons to it and gives loans to buy weapons (of course, Russian ones).

The air defense of Armenia is armed with five divisions of S-300PS, there is information that the Armenians maintain the equipment in good condition. There are also older samples of Soviet technology: S-200, S-125 and S-75, as well as Shilka. Their exact number is unknown.

The Armenian Air Force consists of 15 Su-25 attack aircraft, Mi-24 (11 units) and Mi-8 helicopters, as well as multi-purpose Mi-2s.

It should be added that in Armenia (Gyumri) there is a Russian military base, where the MiG-29 and the S-300V air defense division are deployed. In the event of an attack on Armenia, according to the CSTO agreement, Russia must help its ally.

Caucasian knot

Today, the position of Azerbaijan looks much more preferable. The country has managed to create a modern and very strong armed forces, which was proved in April 2018. It is not entirely clear what will happen next: it is beneficial for Armenia to maintain the current situation, in fact, it controls about 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan. However, this is not very beneficial for Baku.

Attention should also be paid to the domestic political aspects of the April events. After the fall in oil prices, Azerbaijan is experiencing an economic crisis, and the best way to pacify the dissatisfied at such a time is to unleash a "small victorious war." In Armenia, things in the economy are traditionally bad. So for the Armenian leadership, the war is also a very suitable way to refocus the attention of the people.

In terms of numbers, the armed forces of both sides are roughly comparable, but in terms of their organization, the armies of Armenia and the NKR are decades behind the modern armed forces. Events at the front clearly showed this. The opinion that the high Armenian fighting spirit and the difficulties of waging war in mountainous areas will equalize everything turned out to be erroneous.

Israeli MLRS Lynx (caliber 300 mm and range 150 km) surpass in their accuracy and range everything that was made in the USSR and is now being produced in Russia. In combination with Israeli drones, the Azerbaijani army got the opportunity to inflict powerful and deep strikes on enemy targets.

The Armenians, having launched their counteroffensive, could not dislodge the enemy from all their positions.

With a high degree of probability, we can say that the war will not end. Azerbaijan demands to liberate the regions surrounding Karabakh, but the leadership of Armenia cannot agree to this. It would be political suicide for him. Azerbaijan feels like a winner and wants to continue fighting. Baku has shown that it has a formidable and combat-ready army that knows how to win.

The Armenians are angry and confused, they demand to recapture the lost territories from the enemy at any cost. In addition to the myth of the superiority of its own army, another myth has been shattered: that of Russia as a reliable ally. Over the past years, Azerbaijan has been receiving the latest Russian weapons, while only old Soviet weapons have been supplied to Armenia. In addition, it turned out that Russia is not eager to fulfill its obligations under the CSTO.

For Moscow, the state of the frozen conflict in the NKR was an ideal situation that allowed it to exert its influence on both sides of the conflict. Of course, Yerevan was more dependent on Moscow. Armenia has practically found itself surrounded by unfriendly countries, and if opposition supporters come to power in Georgia this year, it may find itself in complete isolation.

There is another factor - Iran. In the last war, he sided with the Armenians. But this time the situation may change. A large Azerbaijani diaspora lives in Iran, whose opinion the country's leadership cannot ignore.

Recently, talks were held in Vienna between the presidents of the countries mediated by the United States. The ideal solution for Moscow would be to introduce its own peacekeepers into the conflict zone, this would further strengthen Russian influence in the region. Yerevan will agree to this, but what should Baku offer to support such a move?

The worst-case scenario for the Kremlin would be the start of a full-scale war in the region. With the Donbass and Syria on the sidelines, Russia may simply not pull another armed conflict on its periphery.

Video about the Karabakh conflict

militaryarms.ru

The essence and history of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh has been one of the most potentially explosive points in the South Caucasus for more than 25 years. Today there is a war going on here again – Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of escalation. Read the history of the conflict in Sputnik Help.

TBILISI, April 3 - Sputnik. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR. Negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict have been held since 1992 within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a historical region in Transcaucasia. The population (as of January 1, 2013) is 146.6 thousand people, the vast majority are Armenians. The administrative center is the city of Stepanakert.

Background

Armenian and Azerbaijani sources have different points of view on the history of the region. According to Armenian sources, Nagorno-Karabakh (ancient Armenian name - Artsakh) at the beginning of the first millennium BC. was part of the political and cultural sphere of Assyria and Urartu. First mentioned in the cuneiform writing of Sardur II, king of Urartu (763-734 BC). In the early Middle Ages, Nagorno-Karabakh was part of Armenia, according to Armenian sources. After most of this country was captured by Turkey and Persia in the Middle Ages, the Armenian principalities (melikdoms) of Nagorno-Karabakh retained a semi-independent status. In the 17th-18th centuries, the princes of Artsakh (meliks) led the liberation struggle of Armenians against the Shah's Persia and Sultan's Turkey.

According to Azerbaijani sources, Karabakh is one of the most ancient historical regions of Azerbaijan. According to the official version, the appearance of the term "Karabakh" dates back to the 7th century and is interpreted as a combination of the Azerbaijani words "gara" (black) and "bag" (garden). Among other provinces, Karabakh (Ganja in Azerbaijani terminology) was part of the Safavid state in the 16th century, and later became an independent Karabakh khanate.

In 1813, according to the Gulistan peace treaty, Nagorno-Karabakh became part of Russia.

In early May 1920, Soviet power was established in Karabakh. On July 7, 1923, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (AO) was formed from the mountainous part of Karabakh (part of the former Elizavetpol province) as part of the Azerbaijan SSR with the administrative center in the village of Khankendy (now Stepanakert).

How did the war start

On February 20, 1988, an extraordinary session of the regional Council of Deputies of the NKAO adopted a decision "On a petition to the Supreme Soviets of the AzSSR and the ArmSSR on the transfer of the NKAO from the AzSSR to the ArmSSR."

The refusal of the allied and Azerbaijani authorities caused demonstrations of protest by Armenians not only in Nagorno-Karabakh, but also in Yerevan.

On September 2, 1991, a joint session of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional and Shahumyan regional councils took place in Stepanakert, which adopted a Declaration on the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, the Shaumyan region and part of the Khanlar region of the former Azerbaijan SSR.

On December 10, 1991, a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which the vast majority of the population - 99.89% - voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan.

Victims and losses

The losses of both sides during the Karabakh conflict amounted, according to various sources, to 25 thousand people were killed, more than 25 thousand were injured, hundreds of thousands of civilians left their places of residence, more than four thousand people are missing.

As a result of the conflict, Azerbaijan lost over Nagorno-Karabakh and - in whole or in part - seven regions adjacent to it.

Negotiation

On May 5, 1994, through the mediation of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh signed a protocol calling for a ceasefire on the night of May 8-9. This document entered the history of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict as the Bishkek Protocol.

The negotiation process to resolve the conflict began in 1991. Since 1992, negotiations have been underway on a peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. The group also includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.

Since 1999, regular bilateral and trilateral meetings of the leaders of the two countries have been held. The last meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan within the framework of the negotiation process on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem took place on December 19, 2015 in Bern (Switzerland).

Despite the confidentiality surrounding the negotiation process, it is known that they are based on the so-called updated Madrid principles, transmitted by the OSCE Minsk Group to the parties to the conflict on January 15, 2010. The main principles of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, called Madrid, were presented in November 2007 in the capital of Spain.

Azerbaijan insists on maintaining its territorial integrity, Armenia defends the interests of the unrecognized republic, since the NKR is not a party to the negotiations.

sputnik-georgia.ru

Nagorno-Karabakh: causes of the conflict

The war in Nagorno-Karabakh is inferior in scale
Chechen: about 50,000 people died in it, but in terms of duration
this conflict surpasses all Caucasian wars of recent decades. So,
today it is worth remembering why Nagorno-Karabakh became known to the whole world, the essence and causes of the conflict, and what the latest news is from this region.

Prehistory of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh

The prehistory of the Karabakh conflict is very long, but
in short, its reason can be expressed as follows: Azerbaijanis, who are
Muslims, have long begun to argue over territory with the Armenians, who are
Christians. It is difficult for a modern layman to understand the essence of the conflict, since
kill each other because of nationality and religion in the 20-21st century, yes, as well as
because of the territory - complete idiocy. Well, you don't like the state, within the borders
whom you turned out to be, pack your bags, but go to Tula or Krasnodar with tomatoes
trade - you are always welcome there. Why war, why blood?

The scoop is to blame

Once, under the USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh was included in
Azerbaijan SSR. By mistake or not by mistake, it doesn't matter, but the paper is on the ground
was with the Azerbaijanis. Probably, it would be possible to agree peacefully, to dance
collective lezginka and treat each other with watermelon. But it was not there. Armenians
they did not want to live in Azerbaijan, to accept its language and legislation. But also
dump in Tula to sell tomatoes or in your Armenia is not very
were going to. Their argument was iron and quite traditional: “they lived here
Didi!

Azerbaijanis to give
they didn’t want their territory either, they also had didas there, and even paper on
the earth was. Therefore, they did exactly the same as Poroshenko in Ukraine, Yeltsin
in Chechnya and Snegur in Transnistria. That is, they sent troops to guide
constitutional order and protection of the integrity of borders. The first channel, I would call
this is a Bandera punitive operation or an invasion of blue fascists. By the way,
well-known hotbeds of separatism and wars actively fought on the side of the Armenians -
Russian Cossacks.

In general, the Azerbaijanis began to shoot at the Armenians, and the Armenians at
Azerbaijanis. In those years, God sent a sign to Armenia - the Spitak earthquake, in
which killed 25,000 people. Well, it seems like the Armenians would have taken it, but left
to the vacant place, but they still really did not want to give the land
Azerbaijanis. And so they shot at each other for almost 20 years, signed
all sorts of agreements, stopped shooting, and then started again. Latest
news from Nagorno-Karabakh is still periodically full of headlines about shootings,
dead and wounded, that is, although there is no big war, it is smoldering. Here in 2014
year, with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group, together with the United States and France, a process was launched to
settlement of this war. But even this did not bear fruit much - period continues
stay hot.

Probably everyone guesses what is in this conflict and
Russian trail. Russia really could have settled the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh, but it is not profitable for her. Formally, it recognizes the boundaries
Azerbaijan, but helps Armenia - just as duplicitously as in Transnistria!

Both states are very dependent on Russia and lose this
addiction Russian government doesn't want to. Both countries have
Russian military facilities - in Armenia, a base in Gyumri, and in Azerbaijan -
Gabala radar. Russian Gazprom deals with both countries, buying gas
for deliveries to the EU. And if one of
countries from under Russian influence, so it will be able to become independent and
rich, what good else will join NATO or hold a gay parade. Russia therefore
very interested in the weak countries of the CIS, so it supports death, war there
and conflicts.

But as soon as power changes, Russia will unite with
Azerbaijan and Armenia within the EU, tolerance will come in all countries,
Muslims, Christians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Russians will embrace each other and will
visit each other.

In the meantime, the percentage of hatred for each other among Azerbaijanis and
Armenians are simply over the top. Get yourself an account in VK under an Armenian or Azeri,
chat, and just be amazed at how serious the split is.

I want to believe that maybe in 2-3 generations this
hatred will subside.

Who benefits from the new Armenian-Azerbaijani war? Large-scale hostilities began in Nagorno-Karabakh. On the night of April 2, 2016, Azerbaijani troops launched an offensive along the entire line of contact with the armed forces of Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

There are battles with the use of artillery, and so is aviation. Both sides accuse each other of escalating the conflict, but the nature of the hostilities of the Azerbaijani side indicates a pre-planned operation. The long-standing conflict between the two peoples of the region: Armenian Christians and Muslim Azerbaijanis kindred to Turks flared up with renewed vigor.

Why the conflict is unprofitable for Armenia

The resumption of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the most disadvantageous for Armenia, which was previously quite satisfied with the status quo. The conflict of the late 80s and early 90s ended in her favor. Maintaining the conflict in a frozen state could drag on for as long as you like. In fact, the territory was under Armenian control. Armenia had no reason to provoke Azerbaijan. After the defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh in the 90s, Azerbaijan significantly strengthened and modernized its army. Money from the sale of oil and gas helped, Armenia does not have such a resource.

In terms of the size of the army, the number of population, including reservists, and the economic potential, Azerbaijan surpasses Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic combined. This means that the war means for Armenia the risk of defeat. In addition, Armenia will be forced to accept thousands of refugees (Azerbaijan has no one to accept, because there are no Azerbaijanis left in Nagorno-Karabakh), which will be a heavy burden on the social system of the country.

Dangers for Azerbaijan

For Azerbaijan, the current geopolitical situation is far from being the most favorable for starting a war, which is connected with the allied relations between Russia and Armenia. The only thing Azerbaijan can hope for is Russia's non-intervention in the conflict if the hostilities do not go beyond Nagorno-Karabakh. In the event of a conflict with Russia, Azerbaijan is doomed to defeat like Georgia in 2008. But the risk of turning the unfrozen conflict into a full-scale regional war is very high.

Why is the war unprofitable for Russia?

Of the major geopolitical players, the resumption of the conflict is the most disadvantageous for Russia. Russia is the guarantor of peace in the South Caucasus and Armenia's ally in the CSTO. In the event of a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia is obliged to help Armenia, if she turns to her with such a request. However, in recent years, Russia, while maintaining good relations with Armenia, has become close to Azerbaijan to such an extent that it began to supply weapons there. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev defiantly did not come to the EU Eastern Partnership summit last year, and a bill was submitted to the Azerbaijani parliament to terminate many previous agreements with the United States. The war means the collapse of the entire previous architecture of international relations, which Russia painstakingly built in the region.

Russian military bases are located on the territory of Armenia. In the event of an escalation of the war, Russia may be drawn into it, which is also not in the interests of this country, which is busy with the war in Syria and the conflict in Ukraine. At a minimum, an active policy in Syria will have to be abandoned.

Dangers for Turkey

Turkey as a regional player could gain some benefits from the conflict in the north. First of all, this would force Russia to pay less attention to the Syrian problem, which would strengthen Turkey's position on this issue. In addition, Azerbaijan undermined its own relations with Russia by the outbreak of hostilities, which means that it will have no choice, regardless of the outcome of the war, but to get closer to Turkey. It is significant that earlier Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said that his country would support the "liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan", i.e. aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.

At the same time, the war, if it goes beyond the borders of Karabakh, carries risks for Turkey as well. Turkey will be forced to start providing assistance to Azerbaijan. Considering civil war in the Kurdish areas of Turkey itself, this will divert Ankara's attention from Syria.

How much war is beneficial to the United States

The only country that is interested both in unfreezing the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and in turning it into a full-scale war, where both Russia and Turkey can be drawn, is the United States. After it turned out that Russia managed to withdraw some troops from Syria, but at the same time take Palmyra with the help of others, the United States stepped up efforts to take Russia out of the game. A bloody conflict in the immediate vicinity of the Russian borders is best suited for this role. The US is also interested in weakening Turkey's role in the Syrian issue. Then they will be able to fully use the Kurdish factor.

If Russia supports Armenia, then the US will finally be able to gain control over Azerbaijan. If Russia does not support Armenia, this will be used as an argument for reorienting the country to the United States. Unlike Turkey, the United States interacts with both sides of the conflict and in any case will not be the loser.

During the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in Washington. The day before, he met with US Vice President Joe Biden. This was the last dignitary Aliyev spoke to before his army launched its offensive. During the meeting, the President of Azerbaijan stressed that the position of Barack Obama as the President of the co-chairing country - the United States on the inadmissibility of the existing status quo is of great importance

Later, Aliyev said that he welcomed the peaceful resolution of the conflict, but on the basis of the settlement of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Aliyev's behavior indicates that he received support from external forces, primarily the United States. Earlier, on March 15, he paid a visit to Ankara, where this issue was also most likely discussed.

It is indicative that the United States did not rush to condemn the start of hostilities by Azerbaijan or somehow influence the president of this country, who is in Washington. As for Turkey, the President of this country, Recep Erdogan, expressed his condolences to Aliyev in connection with the death of Azerbaijani servicemen. Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz spoke about the "fair position" of Azerbaijan and expressed strong support to Baku. Objectively, the war can also affect the interests of this power, but the current Turkish leadership has repeatedly proved that it can follow the US lead contrary to its own real interests.

Last update: 04/02/2016

Violent clashes broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, on Saturday night. using "all kinds of weapons". The Azerbaijani authorities, in turn, claim that the clashes began after shelling from Nagorno-Karabakh. Official Baku stated that the Armenian side violated the ceasefire regime 127 times over the past day, including using mortars and heavy machine guns.

AiF.ru talks about the history and causes of the Karabakh conflict, which has long historical and cultural roots, and what led to its aggravation today.

History of the Karabakh conflict

The territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh in the II century. BC e. was annexed to Greater Armenia and for about six centuries formed part of the province of Artsakh. At the end of the IV century. n. e., during the division of Armenia, this territory was included by Persia in its vassal state - Caucasian Albania. From the middle of the 7th century until the end of the 9th century, Karabakh fell under Arab rule, but in the 9th-16th centuries it became part of the Armenian feudal principality of Khachen. Until the middle of the 18th century, Nagorno-Karabakh was under the rule of the union of Armenian melikdoms of Khamsa. In the second half of the 18th century, Nagorno-Karabakh with a predominantly Armenian population entered the Karabakh khanate, and in 1813, as part of the Karabakh khanate, under the Gulistan peace treaty, it became part of the Russian Empire.

Karabakh Armistice Commission, 1918. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

At the beginning of the 20th century, the region with a predominantly Armenian population twice (in 1905-1907 and in 1918-1920) became the scene of bloody Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes.

In May 1918, in connection with the revolution and the collapse of Russian statehood, three independent states were proclaimed in Transcaucasia, including the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (mainly on the lands of the Baku and Elizavetpol provinces, the Zagatala district), which included the Karabakh region.

The Armenian population of Karabakh and Zangezur, however, refused to obey the ADR authorities. Convened on July 22, 1918 in Shusha, the First Congress of the Armenians of Karabakh proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh an independent administrative and political unit and elected its own People's Government (since September 1918 - the Armenian National Council of Karabakh).

Ruins of the Armenian quarter of the city of Shusha, 1920. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Pavel Shekhtman

The confrontation between the Azerbaijani troops and the Armenian armed groups continued in the region until the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan. At the end of April 1920, Azerbaijani troops occupied the territory of Karabakh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan. By mid-June 1920, the resistance of the Armenian armed groups in Karabakh with the help of Soviet troops was suppressed.

On November 30, 1920, Azrevkom, by its declaration, granted Nagorno-Karabakh the right to self-determination. However, despite the autonomy, the territory continued to remain the Azerbaijan SSR, which led to the tension of the conflict: in the 1960s, socio-economic tensions in the NKAO escalated into mass riots several times.

What happened to Karabakh during perestroika?

In 1987 - early 1988, the dissatisfaction of the Armenian population with their socio-economic situation intensified in the region, which was influenced by the initiated Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev the policy of democratization of Soviet public life and the relaxation of political restrictions.

Protest moods were fueled by Armenian nationalist organizations, and the actions of the emerging national movement were skillfully organized and directed.

The leadership of the Azerbaijan SSR and Communist Party Azerbaijan, for its part, tried to resolve the situation by using the usual command and bureaucratic levers, which turned out to be ineffective in the new situation.

In October 1987, student strikes took place in the region demanding the secession of Karabakh, and on February 20, 1988, the session of the regional Council of the NKAO appealed to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR with a request to transfer the region to Armenia. Thousands of nationalist rallies were held in the regional center, Stepanakert, and Yerevan.

Most of the Azerbaijanis living in Armenia were forced to flee. In February 1988, Armenian pogroms began in Sumgayit, thousands of Armenian refugees appeared.

In June 1988, the Supreme Council of Armenia agreed to the entry of the NKAR into the Armenian SSR, and the Azerbaijani Supreme Council agreed to the preservation of the NKAO as part of Azerbaijan, with the subsequent liquidation of autonomy.

On July 12, 1988, the regional council of Nagorno-Karabakh decided to withdraw from Azerbaijan. At a meeting on July 18, 1988, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR came to the conclusion that it was impossible to transfer the NKAO to Armenia.

In September 1988, armed clashes began between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, which turned into a protracted armed conflict, as a result of which there were large casualties. As a result of the successful military actions of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh in Armenian), this territory got out of the control of Azerbaijan. The decision on the official status of Nagorno-Karabakh was postponed indefinitely.

Speech in support of the secession of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. Yerevan, 1988 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Gorzaim

What happened to Karabakh after the collapse of the USSR?

In 1991, full-fledged military operations began in Karabakh. Through a referendum (December 10, 1991), Nagorno-Karabakh tried to gain the right to full independence. The attempt failed, and this region became a hostage to the antagonistic claims of Armenia and Azerbaijan's attempts to retain power.

The result of full-scale military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991 - early 1992 was the complete or partial capture of seven Azerbaijani regions by regular Armenian units. Following this, military operations using the most modern systems weapons spread to internal Azerbaijan and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Thus, until 1994, Armenian troops occupied 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan, destroyed and plundered 877 settlements, while the death toll was about 18 thousand people, and more than 50 thousand were wounded and disabled.

In 1994, with the help of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, as well as the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS in Bishkek, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan signed a protocol, on the basis of which an agreement was reached on a ceasefire.

What happened in Karabakh in August 2014?

In the zone of the Karabakh conflict at the end of July - in August 2014, there was a sharp escalation of tension, which led to human casualties. On July 31 of this year, skirmishes took place between the troops of the two states on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as a result of which servicemen from both sides died.

A stand at the entrance to the NKR with the inscription "Welcome to Free Artsakh" in Armenian and Russian. 2010 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / lori-m

What is Azerbaijan's version of the conflict in Karabakh?

According to Azerbaijan, on the night of August 1, 2014, reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the Armenian army made an attempt to cross the line of contact between the troops of the two states in the territories of the Aghdam and Terter regions. As a result, four Azerbaijani servicemen were killed.

What is Armenia's version of the conflict in Karabakh?

According to official Yerevan, everything happened exactly the opposite. The official position of Armenia says that an Azerbaijani sabotage group penetrated the territory of the unrecognized republic and fired at the Armenian territory from artillery and small arms.

At the same time, Baku, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edward Nalbandyan, does not agree to the proposal of the world community to investigate incidents in the border zone, which means, therefore, in the opinion of the Armenian side, it is Azerbaijan that is responsible for the violation of the truce.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, only during the period of August 4-5 this year, Baku resumed shelling the enemy about 45 times, using artillery, including large-caliber weapons. There were no casualties from Armenia during this period.

What is the version of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) about the conflict in Karabakh?

According to the Defense Army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), in the week from July 27 to August 2, Azerbaijan violated the truce regime established since 1994 in the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh 1.5 thousand times, as a result of actions on both sides, about 24 people died. Human.

Currently, the exchange of fire between the parties is carried out, including with the use of large-caliber small arms and artillery - mortars, anti-aircraft guns and even thermobaric grenades. Shelling of border settlements also became more frequent.

What is Russia's reaction to the conflict in Karabakh?

The Russian Foreign Ministry regarded the aggravation of the situation, "which entailed significant human casualties," as a serious violation of the 1994 ceasefire agreements. The agency urged "to show restraint, refrain from using force and take immediate action aimed at."

What is the US reaction to the conflict in Karabakh?

The US State Department, in turn, called for the ceasefire to be respected, and for the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to meet at the earliest opportunity and resume dialogue on key issues.

"We also urge the parties to accept the OSCE Chairman-in-Office's proposal to start negotiations that could lead to the signing of a peace agreement," the State Department said.

It is noteworthy that on August 2 Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan stated that the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev may meet in Sochi on 8 or 9 August this year.