Republic of Artsakh

Former breakaway state in the South Caucasus (1991–2023)

For the general history and geography of this disputed area, see Nagorno-Karabakh. For other uses, see Artsakh.

"NKR" redirects here. For other uses, see NKR (disambiguation).

Republic of Artsakh
Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh

Արցախի Հանրապետություն
Artsakhi Hanrapetutyun
Нагорно-Карабахская Республика
Nagorno-Karabakhskaya Respublika

1991–2023

Flag
(1992–2023)

Coat of arms
(1992–2023)

Anthem: Ազատ ու Անկախ Արցախ
Azat u Ankakh Artsakh
"Free and Independent Artsakh"

Territory controlled by Artsakh 1994–2020 shown in dark green; territory claimed but not controlled shown in light green

Territory controlled by Artsakh 2020–2023 shown in dark green; territory claimed but not controlled shown in light green; Lachin corridor shown in white

Status| Unrecognised state; recognised by three non-UN-member states
Capital

and largest city

| Stepanakert
39°49′02″N 46°45′02″E﻿ / ﻿39.81722°N 46.75056°E﻿ / 39.81722; 46.75056﻿ (Presidential Palace)
Official languages| Armenian[a]
Russian[b]
Ethnic groups

(2015 census)[2]

* 99.7% Armenians
* 0.2% Russians
* 0.1% other

Demonym(s)| Artsakhi
Government| Unitary semi-presidential republic (until 2017)
Unitary presidential republic (from 2017)
President|

• 1994–1997 (first)

| Robert Kocharyan

• 2023 (last)

| Samvel Shahramanyan
Prime Minister|

• 1992 (first)

| Oleg Yesayan

• 2023 (last)

| Artur Harutyunyan
Legislature| National Assembly
Independence from the Soviet Union

• 1st Nagorno-Karabakh War

| 20 February 1988–12 May 1994

• Proclamation of the republic

| 2 September 1991[3]

• Independence referendum

| 10 December 1991

• 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh War

| 27 September–10 November 2020

• Azerbaijani blockade

| 12 December 2022

• Azerbaijani offensive

| 19–20 September 2023

• Capitulation

| 28 September 2023
Area

• Total

| 3,170[4] km2 (1,220 sq mi)
Population

• March 2021[5] estimate

| 120,000

• 2015[2] census

| 145,053
GDP (PPP)| 2019 estimate

• Total

| $713 million

• Per capita

| $4,803
Currency|

* Artsakh dram
* Armenian dram

(AMD)
Time zone| UTC+4 (AMT)
Calling code| +374 47[c]

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | Azerbaijan SSR

|

| Nagorno-Karabakh AO
| Azerbaijan |

|

Today part of| Azerbaijan

Artsakh (/ˈɑːrtsɑːx, -sæx/ ART-sa(h)kh), officially the Republic of Artsakh[d] or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (/nəˌɡɔːrnoʊ kərəˈbɑːk/ nə-GOR-noh kər-ə-BAHK),[e][7] was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh controlled parts of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, including its capital Stepanakert. It had been an enclave within Azerbaijan from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war until the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, when the Azerbaijani military took control over the remaining territory controlled by Artsakh. Its only overland access route to Armenia after the 2020 war was via the five-kilometre-wide (3.1 mi) Lachin corridor, which was placed under the supervision of Russian peacekeeping forces.[8]

The predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed by both the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia when both countries became independent in 1918 after the fall of the Russian Empire. A brief war over the region broke out in 1920. The dispute was largely shelved after the Soviet Union established control over the area, and created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923. Throughout the Soviet period, Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast were heavily discriminated against. The Soviet Azerbaijani authorities worked to suppress Armenian culture and identity in Nagorno-Karabakh, pressured Armenians to leave the region and encouraged Azerbaijanis to settle within it, although Armenians remained the majority population.[9]

In the lead-up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, the region re-emerged as a source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1991, a referendum held in the NKAO and the neighbouring Shahumyan Province resulted in a declaration of independence. The conflict erupted into a full-out war in 1992.[8] The war was won by Artsakh with support from Armenia. Although a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994, the frozen situation left the predominantly Armenian-populated territory de facto independent, with a self-proclaimed government in Stepanakert, but still heavily reliant on and closely integrated with Armenia, in many ways functioning as a de facto part of Armenia.[10][11] Even though Armenia never officially recognized the region's independence, it became the main financial and military supporter of the territory.[12][13] In 2017, a referendum in the area approved a new constitution that transformed the system of government from a semi-presidential to a presidential democracy with a unicameral legislature in addition to changing the name of the state from the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Republic of Artsakh, although both names remained official.

From 1994 until 2020, Armenian and Azerbaijani troops remained separated by a contested line of contact[14] which saw sporadic deadly incidents during the intervening years.[15] In 2020, a new war was fought in the region,[8] with Azerbaijan achieving victory and regaining all the surrounding occupied districts and a significant portion of Artsakh's claimed territory.[10][13][15] The Lachin corridor linking Artsakh to Armenia was blockaded by Azerbaijan in December 2022. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched another military offensive. The government of Artsakh agreed to disarm and enter talks with Azerbaijan, prompting a flight of ethnic Armenians from the area. On 28 September 2023, the president of Artsakh signed a decree to dissolve all of the republic's institutions by 1 January 2024,[16] though the president later attempted to annul this decree.[17] By 1 October 2023, almost the entire population of the region had fled to Armenia,[18] marking the end of a millennia-old Armenian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh.[19][20][21][22]

## Etymology

[edit]

See Արցախ in Wiktionary for more.

The town of Chartar in 2010 General view of the capital Stepanakert in 2015

According to scholars, inscriptions dating to the Urartian period mention the region under a variety of names: "Ardakh", "Urdekhe", and "Atakhuni".[23][24][25] In his Geography, the classical historian Strabo refers to an Armenian region which he calls "Orchistene", which is believed by some to be a Greek version of the old name of Artsakh.[26][27][28]

According to another hypothesis put forth by David M. Lang, the ancient name of Artsakh possibly derives from the name of King Artaxias I of Armenia (190–159 BC), founder of the Artaxiad dynasty and the kingdom of Greater Armenia.[29]

Folk etymology holds that the name is derived from "Ar" (Aran) and "tsakh" (woods, garden) (i.e., the gardens of Aran Sisakean, the first nakharar of northeastern Armenia).[30]

The name "Nagorno-Karabakh", commonly used in English, comes from the Russian name which means "Mountainous Karabakh". Karabakh is a Turkish/Persian word thought to mean "black garden". The Azerbaijani name for the area, "Dağlıq Qarabağ", has the same meaning as the Russian name. The term "Artsakh" lacks the non-Armenian influences present in "Nagorno-Karabakh". Artsakh was revived for use in the 19th century, and was the preferred term used by the population, in English and Russian as well as Armenian.[31] "Mountainous Karabakh" was sometimes employed directly as part of the official English name, "Republic of Mountainous Karabakh". This reflected an attempt to shift away from the negative associations thought linked with "Nagorno-Karabakh" due to the war.[32]

## History

[edit]

Main articles: History of Nagorno-Karabakh and Artsakh (historical province)

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Artsakh history.

### Dissolution of the USSR; First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994)

[edit]

See also: First Nagorno-Karabakh War and Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Map of Artsakh and surrounding territories. The area surrounded by red borders corresponds to territory de facto controlled by the Republic of Artsakh from 1994 until 2020. Yellow regions correspond to the Soviet-era Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), with yellow striped regions controlled by Azerbaijan but claimed by the Republic of Artsakh. Green striped regions correspond to territories outside the former NKAO held by Artsakh until the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

In the lead-up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was revitalised. In 1987–88, a mass movement started in Nagorno-Karabakh and Soviet Armenia calling on the Soviet authorities to transfer the region to Armenia, citing self-determination laws in the Soviet constitution.[33] Starting with the pogrom against Armenians in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait in February 1988, the conflict became increasingly violent, and attempts by Moscow to resolve the dispute failed. In summer 1988, the legislatures of Soviet Armenia and the NKAO passed resolutions declaring the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, which were rejected by Azerbaijani and central Soviet authorities.[34]

Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991, and Azerbaijan formally achieved its sovereignty following a referendum on September 21, 1991. Later, on November 27, 1991, the parliament revoked the autonomous status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, prompting local leaders to call for a referendum on independence from Azerbaijan on December 10, 1991.[14] The result saw approximately 99 percent of ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region vote for separation. Artur Mkrtchyan was chosen as president of the Nagorno-Karabakh region following parliamentary elections on December 28, 1991. On January 2, 1992, President Ayaz Mutallibov of Azerbaijan placed the Nagorno-Karabakh region under direct presidential control, and Nagorno-Karabakh formally declared its independence from Azerbaijan on January 6, 1992.[14]

The declaration was rejected by newly independent Azerbaijan, leading to the outbreak of full-scale war with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh on one side and Azerbaijan on the other. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War ended with a ceasefire in May 1994, with Armenian forces controlling practically the entire territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast as well as most of seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan.[35] According to UNHCR, the conflict resulted in over 600,000 internally displaced people within Azerbaijan.[36]

### De facto post-war independence (1994–2020)

[edit]

The Republic of Artsakh became a de facto independent country, though closely integrated with Armenia, while its territory remained internationally recognised as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Professor Matt Qvortrup considered it hypocritical that Western Europe countries had eagerly recognised the succession of several states from Yugoslavia, ignoring the laws of territorial integrity, but simultaneously did not show the same interest for the Nagorno-Karabakh referendum, noting "the practice of independence referendums seemingly owes more to national interest than to adherence to principles of jurisprudence".[37]

Intermittent fighting over the region continued after the 1994 ceasefire without significant territorial changes,[38] while long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994.[39][40][41]

### Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020), Azerbaijan gains

[edit]

Wall with images of fallen Armenian soldiers during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

On 27 September 2020, a war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Artsakh.[42][43] Fighting continued until November, and Azerbaijan recaptured territories, primarily in the southern part of the region, as well as the strategic town of Shushi. A ceasefire agreement signed on 10 November 2020 between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia declared an end to the renewed fighting, and established that Armenia would withdraw from remaining occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh over the next month. The agreement included provisions for a Russian peacekeeping force to deploy to the region, with Russian President Vladimir Putin stating that the ceasefire agreement would "create the conditions for a long-term settlement".[44][45] The war may have claimed thousands of lives.[46]

### Aftermath of 2020 war

[edit]

After the 2020 war, the Republic of Artsakh maintained control over the areas of the former oblast that had not been captured during the war.[44]

In 2021, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia held a trilateral meeting about Artsakh. This was expected to be the first of a regular series of meetings between the three countries, per an agreement to promote economic and infrastructure development throughout the region.[47]

### Blockade (2022–2023)

[edit]

Main article: Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh

In December 2022, Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental activists blocked the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world.[48] On 23 April 2023, Azerbaijani forces installed a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor.[49] The blockade led to a humanitarian crisis for the population in Artsakh; imports of essential goods were blocked, as well as humanitarian convoys of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeepers, trapping the 120,000 residents of the region.[50][51][52][53][54] Limited traffic was conducted by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross to transport patients in need of medical care and provide humanitarian supplies.[55][56] However, from 15 June 2023, Azerbaijan intensified the blockade, blocking all passage of food, fuel, and medicine from the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeepers through the Lachin corridor.[57][58][59]

### 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, exodus, and dissolution

[edit]

Main articles: 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and Flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians

Russian peacekeepers help evacuate Armenian refugees from Stepanakert.[60]

On 19 September, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive into Artsakh-controlled territory. The following day, the government of the Republic of Artsakh agreed to disarm and a ceasefire took effect. Initial negotiations between representatives of the Karabakh Armenian community and the Government of Azerbaijan took place on 21 September in Yevlakh to discuss security, rights and "integration".[61] The talks, which lasted two hours, ended without a formal agreement; however, a statement by Azerbaijani Presidency said that they were "constructive and positive" and that further negotiations would continue.[62] On 24 September, a mass evacuation of ethnic-Armenian civilians started, fearing persecution and ethnic cleansing if they remained.[61][63] A second round of negotiations between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijan took place in Khojaly on 25 September, where humanitarian issues were discussed.[64][65] A third meeting between took place in Yevlakh on 29 September.[66]

On 28 September, Artsakh president Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree stating that all state institutions would be dissolved by 1 January 2024, bringing the existence of the republic to an end.[67] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the region on 15 October and officially raised the flag of Azerbaijan at the building that was previously used as the Artsakh Presidential Palace.[68] On 22 December 2023, Shahramanyan said that there was no official document stipulating the dissolution of government institutions, and his office stated that it was "empty paper".[69]

## Geography

[edit]

Topographic map of Artsakh in the borders 1994−2020

The Artsakh Republic was mountainous, a feature which has given it its former name (from the Russian for "Mountainous/Highland Karabakh"). It is 3,170 km2 (1,224 sq mi) in area.[4] The largest water body is the Sarsang Reservoir, and the major rivers are the Tartar and Khachen rivers.[70] The country is on a plateau which slopes downwards towards the east and southeast, with the average altitude being 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level.[71] Most rivers in the country flow towards the Artsakh Valley.[71]

The geology of Artsakh is primarily part of the Kussary-Divichi Foredeep – the northern foredeep of the Greater Caucasus. The trough is filled with Oligocene to Quaternary age deepwater, molasse and marine sedimentary rocks.[72]

The climate is mild and temperate. The average temperature is 11 °C (52 °F), which fluctuates annually between 22 °C (72 °F) in July and −1 °C (30 °F) in January. The average precipitation can reach 710 mm (28 in) in some regions, and it is foggy for over 100 days a year.[71] Over 2,000 kinds of plants exist in Artsakh, and more than 36% of the country is forested. The plant life on the steppes consists mostly of semi-desert vegetation, while subalpine zone and alpine tundra ecosystems can be found above the forest in the highlands and mountains.[71]

## Government and politics

[edit]

Main articles: Government of Artsakh and Politics of Artsakh

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2023)

|

The National Assembly of Artsakh in Stepanakert

Artsakh was a presidential democracy (transformed from a semi-presidential one, after the 2017 referendum). The Prime Minister's post was abolished and executive power resided with the President who was both the head of state and head of government. The president was directly elected for a maximum of two-consecutive five-year terms.[7] The last President was Samvel Shahramanyan.

The National Assembly was a unicameral legislature. It had 33 members who were elected for 5-year terms.[73] Elections took place within a multi-party system; in 2009, the American NGO Freedom House ranked the Republic of Artsakh above the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan with respect to civil and political rights.[74][75][76] Five parties had members in the parliament: the Free Motherland party had 15 members, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation had 8 members, Democratic Party of Artsakh had 7 members, Movement 88 had 2 members and the National Revival party had one member. A number of non-partisan candidates had also taken part in the elections, with some success; in 2015, two of the 33 members to the National Assembly took their seats without running under the banner of any of the established political parties in the republic. Elections in Artsakh were not recognised by the European Union, the United States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, as well as numerous other countries, who called them a source of increased tensions.[77][78][79][80]

Artsakh was heavily dependent on Armenia, and in many ways de facto functioned and was administered as part of Armenia. However, Armenia was hesitant to officially recognise Artsakh.[11][81]

### Constitution

[edit]

Main article: Constitution of Artsakh

The Presidential Palace The government building

The founding documents of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic were the Proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and the Declaration of State Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. For a long time no constitution was created, with the republic instead declaring Armenian law applied on its territory through a 1992 law. Even when new laws were passed, they were often copies of equivalent Armenian laws.[82]

On 3 November 2006, the then-president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkadi Ghukasyan, signed a decree to hold a referendum on a draft Nagorno-Karabakh constitution.[83] It was held on 10 December of the same year and according to official preliminary results, with a turnout of 87.2%,[citation needed] as many as 98.6 per cent of voters approved the constitution.[84] The first article of the document described the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, alternatively called the Republic of Artsakh, as "a sovereign, democratic state based on social justice and the rule of law."[85][86] More than 100 non-governmental international observers and journalists who monitored the poll evaluated it positively, stating that it was held to a high international standard.[87]

However, the vote was criticised harshly by the European Union, OSCE and GUAM, which rejected the referendum, deeming it illegitimate.[87][88] The EU announced it was "aware that a 'constitutional referendum' has taken place," but emphasised its stance that only a negotiated settlement between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenians could bring a lasting solution.[89] Secretary General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis asserted that the poll "will not be recognized... and is therefore of no consequence".[87] In a statement, the OSCE chairman in office Karel De Gucht voiced his concern that the vote would prove harmful to the ongoing conflict settlement process, which, he said, had shown "visible progress" and was at a "promising juncture".[84]

The holding of the referendum was also criticised by Turkey, which traditionally supports Azerbaijan because of common ethnic Turkic roots, and has historically had severe tensions with Armenia.[90][91]

Another referendum was held on 20 February 2017, with an 87.6% vote in favour on a 76% turnout for instituting a new constitution. This constitution among other changes turned the government from a semi-presidential to a fully presidential model. Its name was changed from "Constitution of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic" to "Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh", though both remained official names of the country.[7][92][93] The referendum was seen as a response to the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes.[94]

### Administrative divisions

[edit]

Main article: Administrative divisions of the Republic of Artsakh

Mountain view in Martakert region

Artsakh was divided into seven provinces and one special administrative city. According to its authorities, it consisted of the territories in which the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was proclaimed in 1991: the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), the Shahumyan Region and the Getashen subdistrict; and those territories that formed part of the Republic of Artsakh before the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.[95][96][97] Also claimed by Artsakh was the Shahumyan Region of the Azerbaijan SSR, which has been under Azerbaijani control since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. While the Shahumyan Region was not part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, representatives from Shahumyan declared independence along with the Oblast, and the proclamation of Artsakh includes the Shahumyan region within its borders.[98]

After the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, an agreement was signed according to which most of the controlled territories of the Republic of Artsakh were transferred to Azerbaijani control, but the Republic of Artsakh continues to claim these territories.[95][96][97]

Following the Republic of Artsakh's declaration of independence, the Azerbaijani government abolished the NKAO and created Azerbaijani districts in its place. As a result, some of Artsakh's divisions corresponded with the Azerbaijani districts, while others had different borders.[99]

Artsakh nominal administrative divisions |  |  | A comparative table of the established divisions of Artsakh and the corresponding districts of Azerbaijan follows:

#  | Artsakh Province[100] | Population (2005)  | Capital  | Former NKAO?  | Equivalent Rayons of the
Republic of Azerbaijan
1  | Martakert Province | 18,963  | Martakert | Yes  | Eastern part of Kalbajar,
Western part of Tartar,
part of Agdam
2  | Askeran Province | 16,979  | Askeran | Yes  | Khojali
3  | Stepanakert (capital)  | 49,986  | Stepanakert | Yes  | Khankendi
4  | Martuni Province | 23,157  | Martuni | Yes  | Northern Khojavend
5  | Shushi Province | 4,324  | Shushi | Yes  | Shusha
6  | Hadrut Province | 12,005  | Hadrut | Yes  | Southern Khojavend
7  | Shahumyan Province | 2,560  | Karvachar | No  | Southern part of Goranboy,
Western part of Kalbajar
8  | Kashatagh Province | 9,763  | Berdzor | No  | Lachin, Qubadli, Zangilan

### Law enforcement

[edit]

Law enforcement in Artsakh was inconsistent, as the region was a de facto independent republic and officially part of Azerbaijan.[101] Law enforcement in Nagorno-Karabakh was the responsibility of the Interior Ministry and the NSS.

#### Police of Artsakh

[edit]

Main article: Ministry of Internal Affairs (Artsakh)

After the annexation of Artsakh to the Azerbaijan SSR, on 4 August 1923, the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was established. In the years following the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Republic of Artsakh created its own police force. In 2001, the National Assembly's law "On Police" was adopted on 30 November 2006.[clarification needed] On 11 March 2014, Police Day in Artsakh was declared for 16 April.[102] The police force followed an organization similar to that of the Police of Armenia.[103]

#### National Security Service

[edit]

Artsakh had its own National Security Service, based on the NSS of Armenia.[104] It was a republican body that elaborated and implemented the policies of the government in the national security sector.[105] By decree of the NKR Supreme Council adopted on 18 January 2006, the NKAO State Security Department was named the State Department of National Security under the NKR Council of Ministers. By order of the NKR National Assembly on 26 November 2003, the NKR laws "On National Security Bodies" and "On Service in National Security Bodies" were adopted. The activities of the NSS were based in the decrees of 25 September 2012.[106] The NSS was headed by Lieutenant General Kamo Aghajanyan.[107][108]

### Military

[edit]

Main articles: Artsakh Defence Army and First Nagorno-Karabakh War

The graves of Armenian soldiers in Stepanakert.

According to the Constitution of Artsakh, the army was under the civilian command of the government.[109] The Artsakh Defense Army was officially established on 9 May 1992 as a defence against Azerbaijan, but was subsequently disbanded on 21 September 2023 under the terms of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement following the 2023 Azerbaijani military offensive.[110]

It fought the Azerbaijani army to a ceasefire on 12 May 1994.[111] At its peak, the Artsakh Defense Army consisted of around 18,000–20,000 officers and soldiers. However, only around 8,500 citizens from Artsakh served in the army; some 10,000 came from Armenia. There were also 177–316 tanks, 256–324 additional fighting vehicles, and 291–322 guns and mortars. Armenia supplied arms and other military necessities to Artsakh. Several battalions of Armenia's army were deployed directly in the Artsakh zone on occupied Azerbaijani territory.[112]

The Artsakh Defense Army fought in Shusha in 1992, opening the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (1992), and staged the defence of the Martakert front from 1992 to 1994.

### Foreign relations

[edit]

Main article: Foreign relations of Artsakh

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh in Stepanakert

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was based in Stepanakert. Since no UN member or observer ever recognised Artsakh, none of its foreign relations were of an official diplomatic nature. However, the Republic of Artsakh operated five permanent Missions and one Bureau of Social-Politic Information in France. Artsakh's Permanent Missions existed in Armenia, Australia, France, Germany, Russia, the United States, and one for Middle East countries based in Beirut.[113] The goals of the offices were to present the Republic's positions on various issues, to provide information and to facilitate the peace process.[citation needed]

In his 2015 speech, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated that he considered Nagorno-Karabakh "an inseparable part of Armenia".[114]

The Republic of Artsakh was neither a member nor observer of the UN or any of its specialised agencies. However, it was a member of the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations, commonly known as the "Commonwealth of Unrecognized States".[citation needed]

While no UN member states recognised Artsakh,[115] some unrecognised and partially recognised states had done so, including Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.[116] Various sub-national governments, including several U.S. states, had issued calls for recognition of Artsakh by their national governments.[117]

## De facto independent Artsakh (1993–2023): conflicting ideologies and diplomacy

[edit]

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (October 2023)

|

### Artsakh–Armenia relations

[edit]

Main article: Artsakh-Armenia relations

Artsakh was a de facto independent state, calling itself the Republic of Artsakh.[citation needed] It had close relations with Armenia and used the same currency, the dram. According to Human Rights Watch, "from the beginning of the Karabakh conflict, Armenia provided aid, weapons, and volunteers. Armenian involvement in Artsakh escalated after a December 1993 Azerbaijani offensive. The Republic of Armenia began sending conscripts and regular Army and Interior Ministry troops to fight in Artsakh."[118] The politics of Armenia and the de facto Artsakh are so intertwined that Robert Kocharyan served as the first President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, from 1994 to 1997, then as prime minister of Armenia from 1997 to 1998, and then as the second President of Armenia, from 1998 to 2008.[citation needed]

However, Armenian governments have repeatedly resisted internal pressure to unite the two, due to ongoing negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. In his case study of Eurasia, Dov Lynch of the Institute for Security Studies of WEU believes that "Karabakh's independence allows the new Armenian state to avoid the international stigma of aggression, despite the fact that Armenian troops fought in the war between 1991 and 1994 and continue to man the Line of Contact between Karabakh and Azerbaijan." Lynch also cites that the "strength of the Armenian armed forces, and Armenia's strategic alliance with Russia, are seen as key shields protecting the Karabakh state by the authorities in Stepanakert".[119] Some sources consider Artsakh as functioning de facto as a part of Armenia.[120][121][122][123][124]

### Negotiations, outside mediation (2001–2007)

[edit]

#### 2001 Paris, Key West talks

[edit]

Representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Russia and the United States met in Paris and in Key West, Florida, in early 2001.[125] Despite rumours that the parties were 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.

#### 2004 Astana talks

[edit]

Further talks between the Azerbaijani 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 Artsakh and then holding referendums (plebiscites) in Artsakh and Azerbaijan proper regarding the future status of the region.[126]

#### 2006 Rambouillet talks

[edit]

On 10 and 11 February 2006, Kocharyan and Aliyev met in Rambouillet, France, to discuss the fundamental principles of a settlement to the conflict. Contrary to the initial optimism, the Rambouillet talks did not produce any agreement, with key issues such as the status of Artsakh and whether Armenian troops would withdraw from Kalbajar still being contentious.[126]

#### 2006 Bucharest meeting

[edit]

Talks were held at the Polish embassy in Bucharest in June 2006.[127] Again, American, Russian, and French diplomats attended the talks that lasted over 40 minutes.[128] Earlier, Armenian President Kocharyan announced that he was ready to "continue dialogue with Azerbaijan for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and with Turkey on establishing relations without any preconditions".[129]

According to the Armenian foreign minister in 2006, Vardan Oskanyan, no progress was made at this latest meeting. Both presidents failed to reach a consensus on the issues from the earlier Rambouillet conference. He noted that the Kocharyan-Aliyev meeting was held in a normal atmosphere. "Nevertheless," he added, "the foreign ministers of the two countries are commissioned to continue talks over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and try to find common points before the next meeting of the presidents."[130]

The major disagreement between both sides at the Bucharest conference was the status of Artsakh. Azerbaijan's preferred solution would be to give Artsakh the "highest status of autonomy adopted in the world".[131] Armenia, on the other hand, endorsed a popular vote by the inhabitants of Artsakh to decide their future, a position that was also taken by the[which?] international mediators.[132] On 27 June, the Armenian foreign minister said both parties agreed to allow the residents of Artsakh to vote regarding the future status of the region.[133] The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially refuted that statement.[134] According to Azeri opposition leader Isa Gambar, Azerbaijan did indeed agree to the referendum, but his claim was never substantiated.[135]

#### 2006 Prague Process

[edit]

The "Prague Process" overseen by the OSCE Minsk Group was brought into sharp relief in the summer of 2006 with a series of rare public revelations seemingly designed to jump-start the stalled negotiations. After the release in June of a paper outlining its position, which had until then been carefully guarded, U.S. State Department official Matthew Bryza told Radio Free Europe that the Minsk Group favoured a referendum in Karabakh that would determine its final status. The referendum, in the view of the OSCE, should take place not in Azerbaijan as a whole, but in Artsakh only. This was a blow to Azerbaijan, and despite talk that their government might eventually seek a more sympathetic forum for future negotiations, this did not occur.[136]

#### 2007 Azerbaijan's PKK claim

[edit]

On 10 December 2007 Azerbaijan's deputy foreign minister said Azerbaijan would be prepared to conduct anti-terrorist operations in Nagorno-Karabakh against alleged bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[137] Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vladimir Karapetian previously rejected the allegations as "fabricated" and suggested the accusations of the PKK presence were a form of provocation.[138]

### Armenian, Artsakh fundamental positions (c. 2007–10)

[edit]

Armenia did not recognise Azerbaijani claims to Nagorno-Karabakh and believed the territory should have self-determination.[139] Both the Armenian and Artsakhi governments emphasized that the independence of Artsakh was declared around the time the Soviet Union dissolved and its members became independent.[140][141] The Armenian government insisted that the government of Artsakh be part of any discussions on the region's future, and rejected ceding occupied territory or allowing refugees to return before talks on the region's status.[142]

In 2009, the president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan declared that "Artsakh will never be a part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh security should never be an article of commerce either. As to other issues, we are ready to discuss them with Azerbaijan".[143] In 2010 president of Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan in his speech in the Chatham House of the British Royal Institute of International Affairs declared that "Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan: it was annexed to Azerbaijan by a decision of the Soviet Union party body. The people of Karabakh never put up with this decision, and upon the first opportunity, seceded from the Soviet Union fully in line with the laws of the Soviet Union and the applicable international law".[144]

### Aliyev: fundamental position on Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh (2008)

[edit]

In 2008, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev stated that "Nagorno-Karabakh will never be independent; the position is backed by international mediators as well; Armenia has to accept the reality" and that "in 1918, Yerevan was granted to the Armenians. It was a great mistake. The khanate of Iravan was Azeri territory, the Armenians were guests here".[145]

### UN, EU, Minsk Group diplomacy (2008–10)

[edit]

On 14 March 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution by a vote of 39 to 7, with 100 abstentions, reaffirming Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, expressing support for that country's internationally recognised borders and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all occupied territories there. The resolution was supported mainly by members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and GUAM. Azerbaijan is a member of both groups, which include other nations facing breakaway regions. The resolution was opposed by all three members of the OSCE Minsk Group.[146]

On 20 May 2010, the European Parliament adopted a resolution "on the need for an EU strategy for the South Caucasus", which states that the EU must pursue a strategy to promote stability, prosperity and conflict resolution in the South Caucasus.[147][148]: 3, 38  The resolution "calls on the parties to intensify their peace talk efforts for the purpose of a settlement in the coming months, to show a more constructive attitude and to abandon preferences to perpetuate the status quo created by force and with no international legitimacy, creating in this way instability and prolonging the suffering of the war-affected populations; condemns the idea of a military solution and the heavy consequences of military force already used, and calls on both parties to avoid any further breaches of the 1994 ceasefire".[148]: 6  The resolution also calls for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, accompanied by the deployment of international forces to be organised with respect of the UN Charter in order to provide the necessary security guarantees in a period of transition, which will ensure the security of the population of Artsakh and allow the displaced people to return to their homes and further conflicts caused by homelessness to be prevented; and states that the EU believes that the position according to which Artsakh includes all occupied Azerbaijani lands surrounding Artsakh should rapidly be abandoned.[148]: 8, 10  It also notes "that an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh could offer a solution until the final status is determined and that it could create a transitional framework for peaceful coexistence and cooperation of Armenian and Azerbaijani populations in the region."[148]: 10

On 26 June 2010, the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group's co-chair countries, France, Russia, and United States made a joint statement, reaffirming their "commitment to support the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they finalize the Basic Principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".[149]

### Armenian position (2019)

[edit]

During his August 2019 visit to Stepanakert, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan presented the strategic development goals set for Armenia for the next three decades. He added that he made no special provision for Nagorno-Karabakh because "Artsakh is Armenia and there is no alternative".[150] Soon afterwards, Armenia's Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan commented on Pashinyan's statement by saying he had "nothing to add" to Pashinyan's formulation of Armenia's position in the conflict.[151]

## Displacement, landmines problem during conflict (1988–2023)

[edit]

See also: Political status of Nagorno-Karabakh

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2020)

|

### Displaced people

[edit]

#### Azeri and other non-Armenian refugees

[edit]

See also: Refugees in Azerbaijan

The first Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resulted in the displacement of 597,000 Azerbaijanis (this figure includes 230,000 children born to internally displaced people (IDPs) and 54,000 who had returned)[152] including Artsakh,[clarification needed] and 220,000 Azeris, 18,000 Kurds and 3,500 Russians fled from Armenia to Azerbaijan from 1988 to 1989. The Azerbaijani government estimated that 63% of IDPs lived below the poverty line, compared to 49% of the total population. About 154,000 lived in the capital, Baku. According to the International Organization for Migration, 40,000 IDPs lived in camps, 60,000 in dugout shelters, and 20,000 in railway cars. Forty-thousand IDPs lived in EU-funded settlements and UNHCR provided housing for another 40,000. Another 5,000 IDPs lived in abandoned or rapidly deteriorating schools. Others lived in trains, on roadsides in half-constructed buildings, or in public buildings such as tourist and health facilities. Tens of thousands lived in seven tent camps where poor water supply and sanitation caused gastrointestinal infections, tuberculosis, and malaria.[153][154]

The government required IDPs to register their place of residence in an attempt to better target the limited and largely inadequate national and international assistance due to the Armenian advocated and US imposed restrictions on humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan. Many IDPs were from rural areas and found it difficult to integrate into the urban labour market. Many international humanitarian agencies reduced or ceased assistance for IDPs citing increasing oil revenues of the country.[155] The infant mortality among displaced Azerbaijani children was 3–4 times higher than in the rest of the population. The rate of stillbirth was 88.2 per 1,000 births among the internally displaced people. As of 2003, the majority of the displaced had lived in difficult conditions for more than 13 years.[156]

During the 2020 war President Aliyev stated he intended for refugees to return to the area.[157][158] While many former cities are currently uninhabitable,[159] the Azerbaijani government and some Azerbaijani companies have announced plans to rebuild infrastructure and invest in the newly controlled territories.[160][161] The Azerbaijani military is clearing mines prior to resettlement, which may take 10–13 years.[162]

#### Armenian refugees

[edit]

Further information: Flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians

280,000 people – virtually all ethnic Armenians who fled Azerbaijan during the 1988–1993 war over the disputed region of Artsakh – were living in refugee-like circumstances in Armenia.[163] Some left the country, principally to Russia. Their children born in Armenia acquire citizenship automatically. Their numbers are thus subject to constant decline due to departure, and de-registration required for naturalisation. Of these, about 250,000 fled Azerbaijan (areas outside Nagorno-Karabakh); approximately 30,000 came from Nagorno-Karabakh. All were registered with the government as refugees at year's end.[163]

### Land mines

[edit]

Main article: Land mine situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Mines were laid in the region from 1991 to 1994 by both conflicting parties in the first Nagorno-Karabakh War. In 2005, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) claimed that 123 people had been killed and over 300 injured by landmines near Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 truce.[164]

HALO Trust, a UK-based demining NGO, was the only international organisation conducting demining in Nagorno-Karabakh.[165] They destroyed 180,858 small arms ammunition, 48,572 units of "other explosive items", 12,423 cluster bombs, 8,733 anti-personnel landmines, and 2,584 anti-tank landmines between 2000 and 2016.[166] By 2018, they had cleared 88% of the territory's minefields, with a target to clear the rest by 2020. The main cities of Stepanakert and Shusha, as well as the main north–south highway, had been cleared and were safe for travel. The demining effort had been largely funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).[167]

## Economy

[edit]

Main article: Economy of the Republic of Artsakh

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2023)

|

A hotel in downtown Stepanakert

The socio-economic situation of the Republic of Artsakh was greatly affected by the 1991–1994 conflict. Yet, foreign investments began to come. The origin of most venture capital comes from Armenians in Armenia, Russia, United States, France, Australia, Iran, and the Middle East.

Notably the telecommunications sector was developed with Karabakh Telecom[168] investing millions of dollars in mobile telephony, spearheaded by a Lebanese company. Karabakh Telecom was disconnected from external communication on 27 September 2023, calls and internet traffic to the Nagorno-Karabakh region are carried out from then on only through telecom operators and providers of Azerbaijan.[169]

Copper and gold mining has been advancing since 2002 with development and launch of operations at Drmbon deposit.[170] Approximately 27–28 thousand tons (wet weight) of concentrates are produced[171] with average copper content of 19–21% and gold content of 32–34 g/t.[172] Azerbaijan considers any mining operations in Nagorno-Karabakh illegal and has vowed to engage an international audit company to determine the damages suffered by Azerbaijan's state-run ore management company as a result. In 2018, the government of Azerbaijan announced that it was planning to appeal to an international court and the law enforcement agencies of the countries where the mining companies involved are registered.[173]

The banking system was administered by Artsakhbank (a Yerevan-based Armenian bank fulfilling the functions of the state bank of Nagorno-Karabakh) and a number of other Armenian banks. The republic used the Armenian dram.

Wine growing and processing of agricultural products, particularly wine (i.e., storage of wine, wine stuffs, cognac alcohol) was one of the prioritised directions of the economic development.[174]

### Tourism

[edit]

Karmir Shuka

The republic developed a tourist industry geared to Armenia and the Armenian diaspora. The republic showed a major increase in tourists over the last several years of its existence because of Artsakh's many cultural sights. Before the 2020 war there were nine[175][non-primary source needed] hotels in Stepanakert. The Artsakh development agency said 4,000 tourists visited Artsakh in 2005. The figures rose to 8,000 in 2010 (excluding visitors from Armenia).[176] The agency cooperated with the Armenia Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) as Armenia is the only way tourists (mainly Armenians) could access Artsakh. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh reported continuous expansion of visitors' geography.[177] Tourist infrastructure was developed around sites such as monasteries that showcase the Armenian history in the region,[31] with Islamic sites rarely restored,[178] while some ghost cities and areas near the front line were off limit to tourists.[31]

The Tourism Development Agency of Artsakh was established in Yerevan as a non-governmental organisation in the Republic of Armenia to promote tourism further in Artsakh. It made preparations for tour operators, travel agencies and journalists covering the region, and arranges for hotel services, shopping, catering, recreation centers.[citation needed]

Tourist attractions included:

* Gandzasar monastery, main tourist attraction.
* Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of the Holy Savior (Under Azerbaijani control since 2020 war)
* Church of the Holy Mother of God "Kanach Zham" (Under Azerbaijani control since 2020 war)
* Amaras Monastery
* Tsitsernavank Monastery (Under Azerbaijani control since 2020 war)
* St. Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery
* Dadivank Monastery
* Gtichavank monastery (Under Azerbaijani control since 2020 war)
* Bri Yeghtsi monastery
* Yerits Mankants
* Katarovank Monastery (Under Azerbaijani control since 2020 war)

Other tourist attractions included:

* Fort Mayraberd (10th–18th centuries) served as the primary bulwark against Turko-nomadic incursions from the eastern steppe. The fort is found to the east of the region's capital city of Stepanakert.
* Govharagha Mosque (18th century), a mosque located in the city of Shusha, now under Azerbaijani control.

Janapar Trail is a marked trail, through mountains, valleys, and villages of Artsakh, with monasteries and fortresses along the way.[179] It is not hikable since the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The trail was broken into day hikes, which brought tourists to a different village each night.[180] The paths have existed for centuries but now are marked specifically for hikers. The Himnakan Janapar (backbone trail), marked in 2007, leads from the northwest region of Shahumian to the southern town of Hadrut, now under Azerbaijani control. Side trails and mini trails take one to additional parts of Artsakh. The important sites passed along this hike include Dadivank Monastery, Gandzasar monastery, Shusha, the Karkar Canyon with its high cliffs, Zontik Waterfall, and the ruins of Hunot and Gtichavank monastery.

One of the noteworthy side trails is the Gtichavank Loop Trail. This loop starts from Tugh Village, now under Azerbaijani control.

However, those who travelled to Artsakh without the Azerbaijani government's prior consent and permission were denied entry to Azerbaijan since the country considered Artsakh their territory unlawfully occupied by the Armenian army.[181] The Azerbaijani government also kept and published online a list of foreign nationals who visited these occupied areas without prior approval.[182] In late 2017, the list contained 699 names with additional details (date, country, profession, purpose of visit). The earliest entry recorded a visit to Artsakh that occurred on an unspecified date sometime between 1993 and 1996. The list included many journalists and members of parliaments of foreign countries.[citation needed]

#### Artsakh Wine Fest

[edit]

Main article: Artsakh Wine Fest

Exhibition of artworks at Artsakh Wine Fest

Before the 2020 war, the Artsakh Wine Fest took place annually in Togh since 2014. The festival was held on the third Saturday of each September.[183]

The festival was initiated by the Department of Tourism and Protection of Historical Places of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Youth Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh and was aimed to develop tourism in Artsakh.[184] It was meant to restore Artsakh winemaking traditions. The festival provided a platform to the winemakers of Artsakh and Armenia giving them an opportunity to sell their products, exchange knowledge, promote their wine etc. The annual festival's program included grape stomping, tasting of traditional Artsakh cuisine, an exhibition of artworks, an exhibition of ancient artefacts that belonged to the Melik Yegan's Palace, as well as an exhibition and sale of local wine, where one could find products from 5 different regions of Artsakh and Armenia. Traditionally, the festival was accompanied by Armenian national singing and dancing. The festival evolved into a national holiday.[185]

### Transportation

[edit]

Stepanakert Airport

The transportation system had been damaged by the 1991–1994 conflict. The North–South Artsakh motorway alone largely facilitated the development of the transportation system.[186] Before the 2020 war, the 169-kilometre (105 mi) Hadrut-Stepanakert-Askeran-Martakert motorway was the lifeline of Artsakh, and $25 million donated during the Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation telethons was allotted for the construction of the road.[186][187] A new route from the Armenian capital Yerevan to Stepanakert was planned to bypass the 8–9 hours drive via the Lachin corridor.[188] It was opened in September 2017.[189] A third road was planned in 2019.[190][191]

Authorities in the USSR opened a railway line in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1944. It connected the capital, Stepanakert, and Yevlax in Azerbaijan. It was built to Russian gauge of 1520mm. Due to the first Nagorno-Karabakh War, the line the railway was badly damaged and the line was closed.[192]

Stepanakert Airport, the sole civilian airport of the Republic of Artsakh, located about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of the capital, has been closed since the onset of the war in 1990. It was expected that the airport would have regular flight services only to Yerevan, Armenia, with state-owned carrier Artsakh Air,[193] but no flights had ever started.[194]

### Communications

[edit]

Karabakh Telecom (KT), the only telecommunications company in Artsakh, was started on February 1, 2002[195] by the Lebanese-Armenian businessman and Chairman Pierre Fattouch.[196] In 2019, Fattouch was charged with tax evasion in Lebanon and in July 2019 a Lebanese Prosecutor General ordered a closure of quarries owned by Fattouch for failure to acquire a legal license.[197] On December 10, 2020, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigated the offshore firm Crossbridge Capital, which manages billions in shareholder assets, including those of Pierre Fattouch.[198][199] KT was also run by the General Director Ralf Yerikian, a Lebanese-born businessman of Armenian origin.[200] The company was considered a CJSC, a closed joint stock company, in which shares of company stock can be bought or sold by shareholders. The company had USD $9.9 million in revenue in the 4th quarter of 2019. From Q1 of 2020 until Q2 of 2021, it shared the same amount in revenue for every quarter – USD $11.1 million. The company has not publicly disclosed their accurate financials between 2020 and 2021. It has invested over USD $12 millions in mobile telecommunication projects throughout Artsakh.[citation needed]

## Demographics

[edit]

Main article: Demographics of the Republic of Artsakh

This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2023)

|

Children at Tumo Center Artsakh branch

In September 2023, over half of Artsakh's ethnic Armenian population fled the country. According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, 100,417 people arrived in Armenia from Artsakh.[201] In 2015, the country's population was 145,000, made up of 99.7% Armenians.[2] This composition represents a sharp change from the 1979 and 1989 census, when the Azerbaijani population was 23 and 21.5 per cent, respectively. The annual birth rate was recorded at 2,200–2,300 per year, an increase from nearly 1,500 in 1999.

OSCE report, released in March 2011, estimates the population of the "seven occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh" to be 14,000, and states "there has been no significant growth in the population since 2005."[202][203] An International Crisis Group report published in December 2019 recorded the population of these territories to be 17,000, or 11.48% of the total population: 15,000 west and southwest of the former oblast, and 2000 in the Agdam District.[204]

Until 2000, the country's net migration was at a negative.[205] For the first half of 2007, 1,010 births and 659 deaths were reported, with a net emigration of 27.[206]

According to age group: 15,700 (0–6), 25,200 (7–17) 75,800 (18–59) and 21,000 (60+)

Population by province (2006):

* Stepanakert 54,500 (2013)
* Martuni 23,200
* Martakert 19,000
* Askeran 17,400 (2007)
* Hadrut 12,300 (2009)
* Kashatagh 9,800
* Shushi 5,000 (2009)
* Shahumyan 2,800

Population of the Republic of Artsakh (2000–2008)[207][208]

Year | Population (000s) | Urban (000s) | Rural (000s) | Birth rate | Death rate | NGR | Net immigration

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2000 | 134.4 | 68.4 | 66.0 | 16.6 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 16.1
2001 | 135.7 | 68.7 | 67.0 | 17.0 | 7.9 | 9.1 | 11.5
2002 | 136.6 | 69.3 | 67.3 | 16.0 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 4.9
2003 | 137.0 | 69.1 | 67.9 | 15.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 1.3
2004 | 137.2 | 69.8 | 67.4 | 15.3 | 9.5 | 5.8 | −2.6
2005 | 137.7 | 70.5 | 67.2 | 14.6 | 9.2 | 5.4 | 1.7
2006 | 137.7 | 70.8 | 66.9 | 15.3 | 9.0 | 6.3 | −3.2
2007 | 138.8 | 71.6 | 67.2 | 15.4 | 8.8 | 6.6 | −1.4
2008 | 139.9 | 72.7 | 67.2 | 17.3 | 9.4 | 7.9 | 2.6

### Resettlement attempts after 1994

[edit]

From 1989 to 1994, there was significant depopulation in the territory that ended up held by Artsakh, leaving only around 40% of the pre-war population. Much of this was due to the displacement and death of Azerbaijani residents in both the former NKOA and the surrounding territories, leaving some former urban areas virtually empty. The Russian minority present also declined, meaning the resulting population was almost 100% Armenian. Beginning in 1995, the population began to increase due to births and immigration.[209]

While the territory captured outside the former NKAO was initially treated as a potential bargaining chip, it slowly began to be seen as part of the country by both officials and the general population.[31] The Stepanakert-based administration launched various programs aimed at bringing in permanent Armenian settlers to the depopulated lands, including into regions previously populated by Azeris, with those that bordered Armenia – Lachin and Kalbajar – being the priority.[210] Lachin was key to a land connection between Armenia and the former NKAO, and Kalbajar had water resources utilised by both Artsakh and Armenia.[31]

Azerbaijan regards this as a violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Armenia became party in 1993, whereby "[t]he Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies".[211] The ruling party of Azerbaijan accuses the Armenian side of artificially changing the demographic situation and the ethnic composition of the occupied region so that it can lay future claims to them, comparing this to the 1950s campaign of resettling diaspora Armenians in previously Azeri-populated locales in Soviet Armenia where Azeris were forcibly deported from in 1948–1950.[212]

In 1979, the total Armenian population of the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Qubadli, Zangilan, Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Agdam was around 1,400 people.[213] An OSCE fact-finding mission established at Azerbaijan's request visited these regions in February 2005 with the intention to assess the scale of the settlement attempts. The mission's findings showed that these districts had as of 2005 an overall population of 14,000 people, mostly living in precarious social conditions. It consisted primarily of ethnic Armenians displaced from the non-conflict zones of Azerbaijan during the war. It was noted, however, that most of them had settled in the conflict zone after having lived in Armenia for several years and some held Armenian passports and even voted in Armenian elections. A smaller segment of the settlers was originally from the towns of Gyumri and Spitak in Armenia who had lived in temporary shelters following the devastating 1988 earthquake before moving to Karabakh, as well as a small number of natives of Yerevan who moved there for financial reasons.[214] A field assessment mission revisited the region in October 2010, confirming that there had not been much growth in population or change in the living conditions of the settlers.[215] The Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group who visited Nagorno-Karabakh, Kalbajar and Lachin in 2014 reported seeing signs of improvements in the infrastructure but could not observe any indications that the size of the population had changed in recent years.[216]

By June 2015, an estimated 17,000 of Syria's once 80,000-strong Armenian population had fled the civil war and sought refuge in Armenia.[217] David Babayan, spokesperson of the Artsakh leader Bako Sahakyan, confirmed that some of those refugees had been resettled in Artsakh.[218] The Economist put the number of the resettled families at 30 as of June 2017.[219] In December 2014, Armenian media cited local municipal authorities in stating that dozens of Syrian Armenian families had been resettled in the disputed zone, in particular in the city of Lachin and the village of Xanlıq in Qubadli.[220] Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov expressed his concern over Armenia's attempts to change the demographic situation in the region and informed of his intention to raise this issue with the Minsk Group.[221]

In February 2019, Armenia's National Security Service director Artur Vanetsyan visited Nagorno-Karabakh amid public concern about Nikol Pashinyan's government alleged readiness to cede some of the Armenian-controlled territories as part of a peace settlement. Vanetsyan pointed out that settling Armenians and investing into infrastructural projects along the Iranian border, in the previously Azeri-populated regions outside of the former autonomous province, was "a clear message" to the international community that there would be no territorial concessions. He referred to the ongoing settlement efforts as a method of "guaranteeing security".[222] Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry reacted by qualifying Vanetsyan's statement as an "attempt to undermine the peace talks and defy the work of the mediators" and vowed to address the issue to the UN and the OSCE.[223]

The ceasefire ending the 2020 war stipulated that these territories were to be turned over to Azerbaijani control. Armenian settlers in these areas evacuated prior to the arrival of Azerbaijani forces.[224]

### Ethnic composition

[edit]

Ethnic Groups of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (1926–1989) and the Republic of Artsakh (2015) according to census data[225]

Eth. | 1921[226] | 1926  | 1939  | 1959  | 1970  | 1979  | 1989  | 2005  | 2015 1

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

#  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %  | #  | %
Arm. | 122,800  | 89  | 111,694  | 89.1  | 132,800  | 88.0  | 110,053  | 84.4  | 121,068  | 80.5  | 123,076  | 75.9  | 145,450  | 76.9  | 137,380  | 99.7  | 144,683  | 99.7
Aze. | 15,400  | 11  | 12,592  | 10.0  | 14,053  | 9.3  | 17,995  | 13.8  | 27,179  | 18.1  | 37,264  | 23.0  | 40,688  | 21.5  | 6  | 0.0  |  |
Rus. |  |  | 596  | 0.5  | 3,174  | 2.1  | 1,790  | 1.4  | 1,310  | 0.9  | 1,265  | 0.8  | 1,922  | 1.0  | 171  | 0.1  | 238  | 0.2
Ukr. |  |  |  |  | 436  | 0.3  |  |  | 193  | 0.1  | 140  | 0.1  | 416  | 0.2  | 21  | 0.0  | 26  | 0.0
Yez. |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16  | 0.0
Ass. |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 16  | 0.0
Geo. |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 15  | 0.0
Oth.  |  |  | 416  | 0.3  | 374  | 0.2  | 568  | 0.4  | 563  | 0.4  | 436  | 0.3  | 609  | 0.3  | 159  | 0.1  | 59  | 0.0
Total  | 138,500  | 125,300  | 150,837  | 130,406  | 150,313  | 162,181  | 189,085  | 137,737  | 145,053
The territorial borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh AO and the Artsakh Republic are different. The population of Artsakh-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh was at least 201,016 and at most 421,726 people in 1989.[227]

### Languages

[edit]

Armenian functioned as the only state language and an official language in the Republic of Artsakh,[228] and was the native language of over 99% of the population. Under Soviet rule, the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh became more proficient in Russian than both Azerbaijanis in the region and Armenians in the Armenian SSR. Few Armenians learnt Azerbaijani, and the language was actively removed following the Nagorno-Karabakh War. While Russian remained in some use after this time, and was valued as a second language, it was not widely spoken at a native level.[32]

Russian was widely spoken in Artsakh, with efforts having been made since late 2020 in the parliament in Stepanakert to establish it as an additional official language; the official justifications for this being that Russian was already the second language of many residents, and that it would create "conditions for deepening cooperation in all spheres, [as well as contributing] to the development of relations within the legal framework."[229] The Parliament of Artsakh approved a bill grating Russian official status on March 25, 2021, with 27 votes in favour, 0 votes against and 2 abstentions.[228]

### Religion

[edit]

Main article: Religion in Artsakh

Gandzasar Cathedral Church of St. Grigoris of the Amaras Monastery

Most of the Armenian population in Artsakh was Christian and were adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is an Oriental Orthodox Church. Some Eastern Orthodox and Evangelical denominations also existed.[70]

#### Armenian monasteries and churches

[edit]

* Amaras Monastery (4th century), located near the villages of Sos and Machkalashen in the Martuni Province. According to medieval chroniclers Faustus Byuzand and Movses Kaghankatvatsi, St. Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint and evangeliser of Armenia, founded the Amaras Monastery at the start of the fourth century.[230][231] At the beginning of the fifth century Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, established in Amaras the first-ever school that used his script.[232][233]
* Yeghishe Arakyal Monastery (5th–13th centuries) commemorating St. Yeghishe, the famous evangeliser of Armenia's eastern lands. The church serves as a burial ground for the fifth century's King Vachagan II the Pious, the most well-known representative of the Arranshahik line of east Armenian monarchs. The monastery is located in the Martakert Province.
* Bri Yeghtsi Monastery (13th century) that centres on embedded khachkars, unique-to-Armenia stone memorials with engraved crosses. The monastery is located near the village of Hatsi in the Martuni Province.
* Gandzasar monastery (13th century), ("Գանձասար" in Armenian) is a historical monastery in Artsakh. Artsakhi government's aim is to include the Gandzasar Monastery into the directory of the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
* Yerits Mankants Monastery (meaning "three infants" in Armenian; 17th century) is known for hosting the seat of Artsakh's rival clergy to that of the Holy See of Gandzasar. The monastery is located in the Martakert Province.
* Saint John the Baptist Church, located in the town of Martakert, built in 1883.
* Church of St. Nerses the Great, located in the town of Martuni, consecrated in 2004. It is dedicated to the famous Armenian Catholicos, Saint Narses the Great.
* Holy Mother of God Cathedral in the city of Stepanakert, consecrated in 2019.
* Katarovank Monastery was founded in the fourth century, and is located close to the village of Hin Tagher in the Hadrut Province. The present-day chapel is a 17th-century structure. There are Armenian khachkars near the chapel. The monastery offers a unique panoramic view to the River Araxes.
* Tsitsernavank Monastery (4th century) is the best-preserved example of an Armenian basilica with three naves. The monastery is located in the village of Tsitsernavank in the Kashatagh Province.
* Dadivank Monastery (Armenian: Դադիվանք), also known as Khutavank (Armenian: Խութավանք – Monastery on the Hill), that was built between the 9th and 13th century. It is one of the most architecturally and culturally significant monasteries in Artsakh. The western façade of Dadivank's Memorial Cathedral bears one of the most extensive Armenian lapidary (stone-inscribed) texts,[dubious – discuss] and has one of the largest collection of medieval Armenian frescoes. Dadivank is named after St. Dadi, a disciple of Apostle Thaddeus who preached the Holy Gospel in Artsakh in the first century. St. Dadi's tomb was later discovered by archaeologists in 2007. The monastery is in the Shahumyan Province and has been placed under the protection of the Russian peacekeeping forces.[234]
* Gtichavank Monastery (13th century) has design features shared with the architectural style of medieval Armenia's capital city of Ani. The monastery is located in the Hadrut Province.
* Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, built 1868–1888 (Սուրբ Ամենափրկիչ Ղազանչեցոց Եկեղեցի – "Surb Amenap'rkich Ghazanchets'ots' Yekeghets'i" in Armenian), also known as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Shushi Cathedral, is an Armenian church located in Shusha. It is the main cathedral and headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church's "Diocese of Artsakh".
* Just uphill from the cathedral in Shusha is the church of Kanach Zham ('Green Church' in Armenian), built in 1847.

### Education

[edit]

Artsakh State University

Education in Artsakh was compulsory, and was free up to the age of 18. The education system was inherited from the old system of the Soviet Union.[235] Artsakh's school system was severely damaged because of the 1991–1994 conflict. But the government of the Republic of Artsakh with considerable aid from the Republic of Armenia and with donations from the Armenian diaspora, rebuilt many of the schools. Prior to the 2020 war, Artsakh had around 250 schools of various sizes, with more than 200 lying in the regions. The student population was estimated at more than 20,000, with almost half in the capital city of Stepanakert.

Artsakh State University was founded by Artsakh and Armenian governments' joint efforts, with main campus in Stepanakert. The university opening ceremony took place on 10 May 1992. Yerevan University of Management also opened a branch in Stepanakert.[citation needed]

#### Universities

[edit]

This is a list of universities in Republic of Artsakh, a former breakaway state in the Caucasus region.

##### State universities

[edit]

* Artsakh State University (Stepanakert)[236]
* Stepanakert branch of the Armenian National Agrarian University (Stepanakert)[237]

##### Commercial universities

[edit]

* Grigor Narekatsi University (Stepanakert)[238]
* University Mesrop Mashtots (Stepanakert)[239]
* Hagop Gyurjyan Institute of Applied Art (Shushi)[240]

##### Colleges

[edit]

* Stepanakert Agricultural College (Stepanakert)
* Stepanakert Choreographic College (Stepanakert)
* Stepanakert Medical College named after T. Kamalian (Stepanakert)
* Stepanakert Musical College named after Sayat-Nova (Stepanakert)
* Shushi Liberal Arts College named after Arsen Khachatryan (Shushi)

##### Military academies

[edit]

* Suvorov and Madatov Military Academy (Stepanakert)
* Kristapor Ivanyan Military Academy (Stepanakert)

## Culture

[edit]

Main article: Culture of Artsakh

### Monuments

[edit]

"We Are Our Mountains" (Armenian: Մենք ենք մեր սարերը) by Sargis Baghdasaryan is a monument located in Stepanakert.[241] The sculpture was widely regarded as a symbol of the Republic of Artsakh. It is a large monument from tuff of an old Armenian man and woman hewn from rock, representing the mountain people of Artsakh. It is also known as Tatik yev Papik (Տատիկ և Պապիկ, "Grandma and Grandpa") in Armenian. The sculpture was featured prominently on Artsakh's coat of arms. Artsakh has often been portrayed as a "shield" to the Armenian nation that protects it from Pan-Turkism.[242][243][244] When lecturing his fighters during the First Nagorno Karabakh-War, Monte Melkonian would say "If we lose this land, we turn the last page on Armenian history."[245][244]

### Museums

[edit]

Artsakh State Museum

Artsakh State Museum was the historical museum of the Republic of Artsakh. Located at 4 Sasunstsi David Street, in Stepanakert, the museum offered an assortment of ancient artefacts and Christian manuscripts. There were also more recent items, ranging in date from the 19th century to World War II and from events of the Karabakh Independence War.

### Publications

[edit]

Azat Artsakh (Armenian: Ազատ Արձախ, lit. 'Free Artsakh') was the official newspaper of the Republic of Artsakh. It had a daily print and was offered in Armenian, English, and Russian.[246] Typical topics included the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian genocide, and other Armenian-related issues. Aside from Azat Artsakh, many print media were published in more than one language, usually offering Russian and English sections in addition to the main Armenian section.[citation needed]

### Sports

[edit]

Stepanakert Republican Stadium in Stepanakert

Sports in the Republic of Artsakh were organised by the Artsakh Ministry of Culture and Youth. Due to the non-recognition of Artsakh, sports teams from the country could not compete in most international tournaments.[citation needed]

Football was the most popular sport in Artsakh.[citation needed] Stepanakert had a well-built football stadium.[citation needed] In mid-1990s, football teams from Artsakh started taking part in some domestic competitions in Armenia.[citation needed] Lernayin Artsakh FC represented the city of Stepanakert. In Artsakh, domestic football clubs played in the Artsakh Football League. The Artsakh football league was launched in 2009. The Artsakh national football team was formed in 2012 and played their first competitive match against the Abkhazia national football team in Sokhumi, a match that ended with a result of 1–1 draw.[247][248] The return match between the unrecognised teams took place at the Stepanakert Stadium, on 21 October 2012, when the team from Artsakh defeated the Abkhazian team 3–0.[citation needed]

There was also interest in other sports, including basketball and volleyball.[citation needed] Sailing was practised in the town of Martakert.[citation needed] Artsakh sports teams and athletes also participated in the Pan-Armenian Games organised in Armenia.[citation needed]

### Holidays

[edit]

The following is a list of public holidays in the Republic of Artsakh:[249]

Date[70] | English name

|

31 December – 1 January | New Year's Day
6 January | Christmas
28 January | Homeland Defender's Day
20 February | Artsakh Revival Day
8 March | International Women's Day
7 April | Motherhood and Beauty Day
24 April | Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
1 May | Worker's Solidarity Day
9 May | Victory, Armed Forces & Shushi Liberation Day
28 May | First Armenian Republic Day
1 June | Children's Day
29 June | Fallen Soldiers' and Missing in Action Memorial Day
2 September | Republic Day
7 December | Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day
10 December | Constitution Day

## See also

[edit]

* Geography portal

* Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
* Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations
* Foreign relations of Artsakh
* Janapar – Multi-section hiking trail going through much of Karabakh
* Outline of the Republic of Artsakh

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The constitution guarantees "the free use of other languages spread among the population".
2. ^ From 2021.[1]
3. ^ +374 97 for mobile phones.
4. ^ Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետություն, romanized: Arts'akhi Hanrapetut'yun.
5. ^ Also Nagorno-Karabagh Republic[6] or Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Russian: Нагорно-Карабахская Республика, romanized: Nagorno-Karabakhskaya Respublika (НКР, NKR); Armenian: Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Հանրապետություն, romanized: Lerrnayin Gharabaghi Hanrapetut'yun (ԼՂՀ, LGhH).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Парламент Карабаха признал русский язык официальным языком республики [Parliament of Karabakh recognized Russian as the official language of the republic] (in Russian). Арменпресс [Armenpress]. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021 – via RBK Group.
2. ^ a b c Таблица 5.2-1 Население (городское, сельское) по национальности, полу (PDF) (in Russian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
3. ^ Zürcher, Christoph [in German] (2007). The Post-Soviet Wars: Rebellion, Ethnic Conflict, and Nationhood in the Caucasus ([Online-Ausg.]. ed.). New York: New York University Press. p. 168\. ISBN 9780814797099.
4. ^ a b "Территориальные потери Арцаха в результате второй Карабахской войны (статистика и карты)". Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
5. ^ "Nikol Pashinyan, Arayik Harutyunyan chair meeting on ongoing and upcoming programs to be implemented in Artsakh". primeminister.am. The Office to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. "...today most of the population – about 120,000 citizens – live in Artsakh..."
6. ^ "Search". 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
7. ^ a b c "Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2020. "The names 'Republic of Artsakh' and 'Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh' are identical."
8. ^ a b c Wilson, Audrey (4 August 2022). "Violence Flares in Nagorno-Karabakh". Foreign Policy. Washington, D.C.: Graham Holdings Company. ISSN 0015-7228. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
9. ^ Parts of a Circle I: The Road to War (Documentary). Media Initiatives Center, Internews Azerbaijan, and the Humanitarian Research Public Union. May 2020.
10. ^ a b "Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
11. ^ a b Hughes, James (2002). Ethnicity and Territory in the Former Soviet Union: Regions in Conflict. London: Cass. p. 211\. ISBN 978-0-7146-8210-5. "Indeed, Nagorno-Karabakh is de facto part of Armenia."
12. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh profile". BBC News. 7 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
13. ^ a b Andrew Higgins; Ivan Nechepurenko (27 September 2023). "A Stunningly Sudden End to a Long, Bloody Conflict in the Caucasus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
14. ^ a b c "How the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been shaped by past empires". National Geographic. 25 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
15. ^ a b "The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: A Visual Explainer". International Crisis Group. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
16. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will cease to exist from Jan 1 2024 – Nagorno-Karabakh authorities". Reuters. 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
17. ^
* Stepanian, Ruzanna (29 March 2024). "Karabakh Figures Reject Pashinian's Threats". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 22 September 2024.
* "France 24 via msn.com". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
* "Artsakh Leader Annuls Earlier Decree to Dissolve Government". Hetq.am. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
* "Artsakh Dissolution Decree Annulled – Asbarez.com". 22 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
* Presse, AFP-Agence France. "Karabakh Dissolution Not Valid, Says Separatist Leader". www.barrons.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
18. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh almost empty as most of population flees to Armenia". Radio France Internationale. 30 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
19. ^ Hauer, Neil (24 November 2024). "COP29 host Azerbaijan guilty of 'ethnic cleansing' during 2023 attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh: report". CBC News. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
20. ^ "NEW REPORT: Azerbaijani Regime Ethnically Cleansed Nagorno-Karabakh According to International Fact-Finding Mission". Freedom House. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
21. ^ "Freedom House: Azerbaijan's actions from 2020 to May 2024 regarding Karabakh are crimes under Rome Statute". News.am. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
22. ^ "Freedom House Report Accuses Azerbaijan of Coordinated Plan to Rid Karabakh of Armenians". Hetq. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
23. ^ Chorbajian, Levon; Donabedian Patrick; Mutafian, Claude. The Caucasian Knot: The History and Geo-Politics of Nagorno-Karabagh. NJ: Zed Books, 1994, p. 52 [ISBN missing]
24. ^ Ulubabyan, Bagrat (1976). Արցախ [Arts'akh]. Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia (in Armenian). Vol. ii. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences. pp. 150–151.
25. ^ Christopher Walker. "The Armenian presence in Mountainous Karabakh", in John F. R. Wright et al.: Transcaucasian Boundaries (SOAS/GRC Geopolitics). 1995, p. 91 [ISBN missing]
26. ^ Strabo (1903). "11.14". In Hamilton, H.C.; Falconer, W. (eds.). Geography. London: George Bell & Sons. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022 – via Perseus Project.
27. ^ Roller, Duane W (2018). A historical and topographical guide to the geography of Strabo. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 678\. ISBN 978-1-316-84820-3. OCLC 1127455921. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
28. ^ Baratov, Boris (1992). Ангел Арцаха: памятники армянского искусства Нагорного Карабаха. Moscow: Editions "Linguiste". p. 6.
29. ^ Lang, David M. (1988). The Armenians: a People in Exile. London: Unwin Hyman. p. x. ISBN 978-0-04-956010-9.
30. ^ Mkrtchyan, Shahen (2000). Treasures of Artsakh. Yerevan: Tigran Mets Publishing. p. 10.[ISBN missing]
31. ^ a b c d e Toal, Gerard; O'Loughlin, John (5 November 2013). "Land for Peace in Nagorny Karabakh? Political Geographies and Public Attitudes Inside a Contested De Facto State". Territory, Politics, Governance. 1 (2): 158–182\. doi:10.1080/21622671.2013.842184. ISSN 2162-2671. S2CID 54576963. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
32. ^ a b Muth, Sebastian (January 2014). "War, language removal and self-identification in the linguistic landscapes of Nagorno-Karabakh". Nationalities Papers. 42 (1): 67, 69–70, 72, 84–85\. doi:10.1080/00905992.2013.856394. S2CID 128709302. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
33. ^ Starovoytova, Galina (November 1997). "Sovereignty after Empire: Self-Determinationa Movements in the Former Soviet Union" (PDF). United States Institute of Peace. p. vi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
34. ^ De Waal, Thomas (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: NYU Press. pp. 60–61\. ISBN 0-8147-1944-9. OCLC 50959080.
35. ^ Krüger, Heiko (2010), "Involvement of the Republic of Armenia in the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh", The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 93–114, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-14393-9_2, ISBN 9783642117879
36. ^ "Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees For the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Compilation Report – Universal Periodic Review: Azerbaijan". Refworld. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
37. ^ Qvortrup, Matt (2019). The Referendum and Other Essays on Constitutional Politics. Oxford, England: Hart Publishing. p. 57\. ISBN 978-1-50992-929-0. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
38. ^ "Armenia/Azerbaijan – Border clashes between the two countries". Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (France). 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
39. ^ "Is Turkey a brother in arms or just extending its footprint into Nagorno-Karabakh?". France 24. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
40. ^ Palmer, James (28 September 2020). "Why Are Armenia and Azerbaijan Heading to War?". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
41. ^ OSCE Minsk Group (2 October 2020). "Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
42. ^ "Armenia and Azerbaijan Are at War. Does Trump Even Know?". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
43. ^ "Dozens Dead as Armenia–Azerbaijan Clashes Continue". The Guardian. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
44. ^ a b Bar, Hervé (AFP) (12 November 2020). "Russian Peacekeepers Head to Nagorno-Karabakh After Peace Deal". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
45. ^ "Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia reach agreement to end Nagorno-Karabakh fighting". France 24. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
46. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Nearly 5,000 dead in conflict, Putin says". BBC News. 22 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
47. ^ "Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia hold meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh". dailysabah.com. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
48. ^ "Азербайджанские "активисты" блокируют дорогу из Карабаха в Армению. Одновременно в Карабахе пропал газ" [Azerbaijani "activists" are blocking the road from Karabakh to Armenia. At the same time, gas disappeared in Karabakh]. BBC News Русская Служба (in Russian). Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
49. ^ Loe, Catherine (27 April 2023). "Azerbaijan sets up checkpoints on the Lachin corridor". Economist Intelligence Unit. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023. "The move [installation of a checkpoint] has increased the blockade of Nagorny Karabakh...A checkpoint on the border would give Azerbaijan the ability to stop any cars travelling between Armenia and Nagorny Karabakh."
50. ^ Hauer, Neil (31 July 2023). "Karabakh blockade reaches critical point as food supplies run low". www.intellinews.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023. "Occasional ICRC and Russian traffic continued to pass until June 15, at which point Azerbaijan halted all humanitarian deliveries. No food, medicine or fuel has entered Nagorno-Karabakh since."
51. ^ Gavin, Gabriel (19 December 2022). "Supplies begin to run low as Nagorno-Karabakh blockade continues". eurasianet.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
52. ^ Kitachayev, Bashir (16 December 2022). "Azerbaijani roadblock cuts tens of thousands off from food, fuel and medicine". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
53. ^ "New Troubles in Nagorno-Karabakh: Understanding the Lachin Corridor Crisis". www.crisisgroup.org. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023. "While travellers were already few due to the blockade, the ICRC reports that its ability to get people across has been curtailed [since the installation of the checkpoint], leaving only the Russian peacekeepers to facilitate trips to Armenia for medical care."
54. ^ "June Alerts and May Trends 2023". www.crisisgroup.org. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023. "Checkpoint on Lachin corridor faced fierce opposition amid humanitarian crisis....Azerbaijani military consolidated [the] blockade, however, leading to even fewer crossings and reduced transportation of goods."
55. ^ Shahverdyan, Lilit (12 January 2023). "Blackouts and food rationing as Karabakh blockade enters second month". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023. "But the supplies are meager compared to the pre-blockade delivery of 12,000 tons of goods monthly, and barely meet the needs of the local population, which Armenian sources estimate at around 120,000."
56. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh reports gas cut for second time since start of blockade". OC Media. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
57. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh again faces shortages as Azerbaijan closes Lachin Corridor". OC Media. 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
58. ^ "Food shortages and fear as peacekeepers refused entry to Nagorno-Karabakh". OC Media. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
59. ^ "Karabakh blockade reaches critical point as food supplies run low". www.intellinews.com. 31 July 2023. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
60. ^ "Protests In Yerevan Follow Azerbaijani Attacks As Karabakh Residents Seek Shelter". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
61. ^ a b Light, Felix (23 September 2023). "Karabakh Armenians say ceasefire being implemented, aid is arriving". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
62. ^ Light, Felix; Faulconbridge, Guy; Faulconbridge, Guy (21 September 2023). "Karabakh Armenians seek promises before giving up weapons to Azerbaijan". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
63. ^ Roth, Andrew (24 September 2023). "First evacuees from Nagorno-Karabakh cross into Armenia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
64. ^ "Topics discussed between Azerbaijani authorities, reps of Karabakh Armenians in Khojaly revealed". Trend News Agency. 25 September 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
65. ^ "Azerbaijan offers to organize visits of Karabakh Armenians to Baku". News.am. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
66. ^ "Another meeting with representatives of Armenian residents living in Karabakh region wraps up in Yevlakh Video – Azeritac".
67. ^ "La république séparatiste du Haut-Karabakh cessera d'exister le 1er janvier 2024". Le Progrès (in French). 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
68. ^ "Azerbaijan's president raises national flag in Nagorno-Karabakh capital". 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
69. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh dissolution not valid, says Armenian separatist leader". France 24. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
70. ^ a b c "Nagorno Karabakh Republic – Country Overview". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
71. ^ a b c d "Geographic Location, Climate, Natural Resources and Wildlife of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
72. ^ Moores, E.M.; Fairbridge, Rhodes W. (1997). Encyclopedia of European & Asian Regional Geology. Springer. p. 61.
73. ^ "The Parliament of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
74. ^ "Country Report: Armenia". Freedom in the World. Freedom House. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010.
75. ^ "Country Report: Azerbaijan". Freedom in the World. Freedom House. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010.
76. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh [Armenia/Azerbaijan]". Map of Freedom in the World. Freedom House. 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2011.
77. ^ "EU does not recognize 'elections' in Nagorno Karabakh". News.Az. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
78. ^ Mustafa Pazarlı. "US will not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's elections". Videonews.us. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
79. ^ Mushvig Mehdiyev. "OIC condemns "elections" in Nagorno-Karabakh as illegal". AzerNews.az. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
80. ^ "Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh elects new parliament". Arab News. 3 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
81. ^ Cornell, Svante (2011). Azerbaijan Since Independence. New York: M.E. Sharpe. p. 135\. ISBN 978-0-7656-3004-9. "Following the war, the territories that fell under Armenian control, in particular Mountainous Karabakh itself, were slowly integrated into Armenia. Officially, Karabakh and Armenia remain separate political entities, but for most practical matters the two entities are unified."
82. ^ Waters, Christopher (2006). "Law in Places That Don't Exist". Denver Journal of International Law & Policy. 34 (3): 408–410\. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
83. ^ "Nagorno Karabakh to hold referendum on draft constitution on 10 December". REGNUM. 3 November 2006. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
84. ^ a b "Karabakh Approves Pro-Independence Constitution". Radio Free Europe. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
85. ^ "Constitution of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
86. ^ "Constitution". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
87. ^ a b c "Karabakh Defends New Constitution". IWPR Institute for War & Peace. 11 January 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
88. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh gains constitution". ISN.ETHZ.ch. 13 December 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
89. ^ "EU rejects referendum vote on draft constitution in Nagorno-Karabakh". International Herald Tribune. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
90. ^ "Турция осудила референдум в Нагорном Карабахе". kavkaz-uzel.ru. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007.
91. ^ "Deutsche welle reports on nagorno karabakh". ArmInfo. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2008.[dead link]
92. ^ "Azerbaijan's Breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Holds 'Illegal' Referendum". Radio Free Europe. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
93. ^ "Artsakh Votes for New Constitution, Officially Renames the Republic". Armenian Weekly. 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
94. ^ Andrew Rettman (20 February 2017). "Referendum to create 'Republic of Artsakh' on Europe's fringe". euobserver. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
95. ^ a b Siranush Ghazanchyan (1 February 2022). "Bill on territories occupied by Azerbaijan brought to the agenda of Artsakh Parliament". Public Radio of Armenia. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
96. ^ a b Закон об азербайджанской оккупации Арцаха должен действовать до ее прекращения – глава МИД НКР [Law on Azerbaijani occupation of Artsakh must remain in effect until its termination – NKR Foreign Minister]. АМИ Новости-Армения [AMI News Armenia] (in Russian). 30 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
97. ^ a b "Artsakh Parliament adopts law on territories occupied by Azerbaijan". Public Radio of Armenia. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
98. ^ Joint session of the Nagorno Karabakh Oblast and Shahoumian regional councils of people's deputies with the participation of deputies of councils of all levels (2 September 1991). "Declaration: On proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original on 3 January 2008.
99. ^ "Azerb.com – Regions". Travel-images.com. 24 March 2007. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
100. ^ "Table 1.4: De Jure Population by Administrative Territorial Distribution and Density (with map)". Census in NKR 2005 (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
101. ^ Mr David Atkinson, United Kingdom, European Democrat Group, (Rapporteur) The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference Archived 2012-12-05 at archive.today, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 29 November 2004
102. ^ "Պատմություն – ԱՐՑԱԽԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՈՍՏԻԿԱՆՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ". www.police.nkr.am. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
103. ^ "Գլխավոր – ԱՐՑԱԽԻ ՀԱՆՐԱՊԵՏՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՆԵՐՔԻՆ ԳՈՐԾԵՐԻ ՆԱԽԱՐԱՐՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՈՍՏԻԿԱՆՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ". police.nk.am. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
104. ^ LLC, Helix Consulting. "Police – Other state governing bodies – Government – Government of Artsakh Republic". gov.nkr.am. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
105. ^ LLC, Helix Consulting. "National Security Service – Other state governing bodies – Government – Government of Artsakh Republic". gov.nkr.am. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
106. ^ "ԱՀ ԱԱԾ". www.nssartsakh.am. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
107. ^ "Kamo Aghajanyan is appointed Karabakh National Security Service director". news.am. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
108. ^ "ԱՀ ԱԱԾ". www.nssartsakh.am. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
109. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
110. ^ "Azerbaijan Ends Fighting in Disputed Region as Armenians Concede". Bloomberg.com. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
111. ^ "Important Facts about NKR Defense Army". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
112. ^ Blandy, C.W. (17 August 2008), "Azerbaijan: Is War Over Nagornyy Karabakh a Realistic Option?" (PDF), Advanced Research and Assessment Group: Caucasus Series, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, p. 14, ISBN 978-1-905962-49-5, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2011
113. ^ "Permanent Representations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
114. ^ Серж Саргсян: Нагорный Карабах – это Армения [Serzh Sargsyan: Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenia]. Vestnik Kavkaza (in Russian). 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015.
115. ^ "French Senate pushes Paris to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh". The Washington Post. 25 November 2020.[dead link]
116. ^ "Вице-спикер парламента Абхазии: Выборы в НКР соответствуют всем международным стандартам" (24 May 2010). Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2021. "Абхазия, Южная Осетия, НКР и Приднестровье уже давно признали независимость друг друга и очень тесно сотрудничают между собой", – сказал вице-спикер парламента Абхазии. ... "...Абхазия признала независимость Нагорно-Карабахской Республики..." – сказал он."
117. ^ Hairenik (28 September 2017). "Breaking: Michigan Recognizes Artsakh Independence". The Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
118. ^ "Human Rights Watch World Report 1995". Hrw.org. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
119. ^ Lynch, Dov. Managing separatist states: A Eurasian case study (PDF) (Report). Paris: Institute for Security Studies – Western European Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2009 – via Archive of European Integration – Pitt.
120. ^ Hughes, James (2002). Ethnicity and Territory in the Former Soviet Union: Regions in Conflict (1st ed.). London: Cass. p. 211\. ISBN 9780714682105. "Indeed, Nagomo–Karabakh is de facto part of Armenia."
121. ^ "Armenia expects Russian support in Karabakh war". Hürriyet Daily News. 20 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013. "While internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, the enclave has declared itself an independent republic but is administered as a de facto part of Armenia."
122. ^ Central Asia and The Caucasus, Information and Analytical Center, 2009, Issues 55–60, p. 74, "Nagorno-Karabakh became de facto a part of Armenia (its quasi-statehood can dupe no one) as a result of aggression."
123. ^ Deutsche Gesellschaft für auswärtige Politik, Internationale Politik, Volume 8, 2007 "...and Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed territory that is now de facto part of Armenia..."
124. ^ Cornell, Svante (2011). Azerbaijan Since Independence. New York: M.E. Sharpe. p. 135\. ISBN 9780765630049. "Following the war, the territories that fell under Armenian control, in particular Mountainous Karabakh itself, were slowly integrated into Armenia. Officially, Karabakh and Armenia remain separate political entities, but for most practical matters the two entities are unified."
125. ^ "Armenia and Azerbaijan: Key West Peace Talks". 2001-2009.state.gov. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
126. ^ a b "Resources – Center for Security Studies | ETH Zurich". Isn.ethz.ch (in German). 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
127. ^ Condon, Christopher (5 June 2006). "'Marathon' talks on Nagorno-Karabakh". News.ft.com. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
128. ^ "Kocharyan-Aliyev Meeting Over in Bucharest". Panarmenian.net. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
129. ^ "Yerevan Ready to Continue Dialogue with Baku for Karabakh Settlement". Panarmenian.net. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
130. ^ "No Progress at Kocharyan-Aliyev Meeting in Bucharest". Panarmenian.net. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
131. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh FM: Granting Autonomy To Nagorno-Karabakh Is Out of Baku Competence". Regnum.ru. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
132. ^ ռ/կ, Ազատություն (23 June 2006). "U.S. Confirms Vote Option For Karabakh". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» Ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
133. ^ ռ/կ, Ազատություն (27 June 2006). "Armenian, Azeri Leaders 'Agreed To Karabakh Referendum'". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» Ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
134. ^ "Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry about latest statement of Armenia on Nagorno Karabakh". Today.az. 27 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
135. ^ "Isa Gambar: "Baku Gave OK on Referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh"". Today.az. 28 June 2006. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
136. ^ "Resources – Center for Security Studies | ETH Zurich". Isn.ethz.ch (in German). 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
137. ^ "Azerbaijan Prepared to Hold Anti-Terror Operations in Nagorno-Karabakh against Placement of Kurdish Gunmen". Trend News Agency. 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
138. ^ "Vladimir Karapetyan: Allegations of PKK bases in Armenia and NK groundless provocation". Regnum. 5 December 2007. Archived from the original on 2 January 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
139. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia (posted in or after 2008). Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
140. ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (posted in or after 2007). "Nagorno Karabagh Republic: History and Current Reality". Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2010.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
141. ^ "Interview of President Serzh Sargsyan to "Politique Internationale" Journal". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Armenia Official Site. 4 March 2009. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
142. ^ "Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on a question of "Haylur" News Program". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Armenia Official Site. 16 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.
143. ^ "Artsakh will never be a part of Azerbaijan". Panarmenian.net. 4 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
144. ^ "Serzh Sargsyan: Karabakh was never a part of independent Azerbaijan". Panorama.am. 10 February 2010. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
145. ^ "Azerbaijani president: Armenians are guests in Yerevan". REGNUM News Agency. 17 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009.
146. ^ "UNO Department of Public Information. General Assembly adopts resolution reaffirming territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, demanding withdrawal of all Armenian forces". Un.org. 14 March 2008. Archived from the original on 3 July 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
147. ^ External relations (20 May 2010). "South Caucasus: EU must help stabilise the region, say MEPs". European Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
148. ^ a b c d The need for an EU strategy for the South Caucasus (Resolution P7_TA(2010)0193, 3,38). European Parliament. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
149. ^ "G8 Summit: Joint Statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict by Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, and Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic". whitehouse.gov. 26 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2012 – via National Archives.
150. ^ "Artsakh is Armenia and there is no alternative – Pashinyan". Armenpress. 5 August 2019. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
151. ^ Markovic, B. (16 August 2019). "Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: crisis of diplomacy, saber rattling of the military". Caucasus Watch. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
152. ^ "IDMC » Azerbaijan: After more than 20 years, IDPs still urgently need policies to support full integration". www.internal-displacement.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
153. ^ "Hundreds of thousands of people displaced". Amnesty International. 28 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2008.
154. ^ "Azerbaijan Republic: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper" (PDF). IMF Country Report. 105 (3). International Monetary Fund. April 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022 – via UNESCO Planipolis.
155. ^ "World Refugee Survey: Azerbaijan report 2005". Archived from the original on 7 January 2008.
156. ^ Profile of Internal Displacement: Azerbaijan (PDF) (Report). Norwegian Refugee Council – Global IDP Project. 5 May 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2007 – via NRC – IDMC.
157. ^ "President Aliyev: After that we will work on return of Azerbaijani refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh". AZƏRBAYCAN 24. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
158. ^ "Azerbaijan fully reclaims lands around Nagorno-Karabakh". Aljazeera. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
159. ^ "Azerbaijanis Who Fled War Look to Return Home, If It Exists". VOA. Associated Press. 22 November 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
160. ^ Mehdiyev, Mushvig (19 November 2020). "Azerbaijani President Visits Liberated Districts, Vows to Rebuild Damaged Villages and Cities". Caspian News. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
161. ^ Natiqqizi, Ulkar (19 November 2020). "Azerbaijan starts rebuilding in newly won territories". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
162. ^ "Azerbaijani army enters Lachin: who's where in Karabakh – an overview". JAMnews. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
163. ^ a b "Armenia – 2001", World Refugee Survey – Country Reports, US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, January 2001, archived from the original on 7 January 2008 According to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic information, Some 350,000 Armenians were expelled from Azerbaijan and some 36,000 of them came to Nagorno Karabakh. Additionally some 71,000 Karabakh Armenians were internally displaced; see: "Fact Sheet: Refugees & Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) In Nagorno Karabakh" (PDF). Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. May 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
164. ^ "UN: More Than 100 Killed By Mines Near Nagorno-Karabakh – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 2009". Rferl.org. 24 December 2005. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
165. ^ "The HALO Trust – A charity specialising in the removal of the debris of war :: Requirement for continued clearance". 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010.
166. ^ Gregorian, Alin (5 April 2018). "Three HALO Trust Workers Killed in Artsakh". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
167. ^ "HALO Trust-ը՝ Ղարաբաղում ականազերծման ծրագրի կարեւորության վերաբերյալ". Voice of America. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
168. ^ "Karabakh Telecom site". Karabakhtelecom.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
169. ^ ""Karabakh Telecom," created by separatists, is disconnected from external communication". Turan Information Agency. Turan Information Agency. 30 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
170. ^ "Base Metals LLC – History". Bm.am. 7 October 2002. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
171. ^ "Statistical Yearbook of NKR 2002–2008, p. 169" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
172. ^ "Base Metals LLC – Product". Bm.am. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
173. ^ "Azerbaijan to prosecute mining in Karabakh", Meydan TV, 3 April 2018, archived from the original on 6 March 2019, retrieved 3 March 2019
174. ^ "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh: Process of State Building at the Crossroad of Centuries" (PDF). "Institute of Political Research" SNCO. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
175. ^ "Search Hotels – Stepanakert". armhotels.am. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
176. ^ В мире растет интерес к Арцаху [Interest in Artsakh is growing in the world]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (in Russian). 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
177. ^ "Geography of the visitors to the NKR keeps on expanding". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. 18 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
178. ^ Kucera, Joshua (4 December 2019). "Karabakh's contentious mosque restoration". Erasianet. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
179. ^ "Janapar Trail". Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
180. ^ Mitchell, Laurence (Summer 2009). "Up the Garden Path". Walk. The Ramblers. pp. 67–69\. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
181. ^ "Warning for the foreign nationals wishing to travel to the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
182. ^ "List of foreign citizens illegally visited occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
183. ^ Գինու փառատոն Արցախում [Wine festival in Artsakh]. Ապառաժ – Նորություններ Արցախից [Aparaj – Artsakh News] (in Armenian). 18 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
184. ^ Գինու փառատոն Արցախում [Wine festival in Artsakh]. Արմարլուր – Armenia Artsakh News (in Armenian). 3 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
185. ^ "The Sixth Artsakh Wine festival held in the Togh village of Artsakh's Hadrut region". Artsakh Press (Photo essay). 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
186. ^ a b "North-South Highway: The Backbone of Karabakh". Armenia Fund USA. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
187. ^ Petrosian, Kristine (7 October 2000). "Karabakh hopes for recognition – from investors". Russia Journal. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
188. ^ "It'll take 3 hours to drive from Yerevan to Stepanakert through new highway being constructed by Hayastan fund". Arka. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
189. ^ "New Highway Linking Armenia and Artsakh Inaugurated". The Armenian Weekly. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
190. ^ Kucera, Joshua (25 July 2019). "Armenia and Karabakh announce construction of third connecting highway". eurasianet. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
191. ^ Farrell, Francis (12 November 2020). "The battle for Shusha: the cauldron of generational pain at the heart of the Nagorno-Karabakh war". New Eastern Europe. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
192. ^ Williams, Glyn (2020). "Railways in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)". Glyn Williams' Home Page. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
193. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh Airport Preparing For First Flights In Decades". RFE/RL. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
194. ^ Mejlumyan, Ani (8 April 2021). "Karabakh's airport still waiting for takeoff". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
195. ^ "Karabakh Telecom site". Karabakhtelecom.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
196. ^ "About us – Karabakh Telecom". kt.am. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
197. ^ "Decision to close Pierre Fattouch's quarries in Dahr al-Baydar". LBCI Lebanon. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
198. ^ Ibrahim (Daraj.com), Tom Stocks, Riad Kobaissi, and Rana Sabbagh (OCCRP) and Alia. "Offshore Firm Tied To Lebanon Central Bank Governor Sold Stock to Bank He Regulates". OCCRP. Retrieved 15 April 2020.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
199. ^ Pierre Fattouch. "ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database". offshoreleaks.icij.org. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
200. ^ ""Karabakh Telecom" Begins Operations". Asbarez.com. 13 February 2002. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
201. ^ "Almost all ethnic Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh". The Guardian. 30 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
202. ^ "Azerbaijani Party Appeals To OSCE About Armenian Resettlement". RFERL. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
203. ^ "Executive Summary of the "Report of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' Field Assessment Mission to the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh"". OSCE. 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
204. ^ "Digging out of Deadlock in Nagorno-Karabakh". International Crisis Group. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
205. ^ "Nagorno Karabakh prime minister: We need to have at least 300,000 population". REGNUM News Agency. 9 March 2007. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
206. ^ Евразийская панорама [Eurasian panorama]. Население и общество [Population and Society] (in Russian). Higher School of Economics Institute of Demography. Sec. 11. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012 – via Демоскоп [Demoscope] Weekly.
207. ^ Population (PDF). Statistical Yearbook of NKR (Report). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2008.
208. ^ "Population" (PDF). Stat-nkr.am. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
209. ^ Rowland, Richard H. (2008). "Population Trends in a Contested Pseudo-State: The Case of Nagorno-Karabakh". Eurasian Geography and Economics. 49 (1): 105–108\. doi:10.2747/1539-7216.49.1.99. S2CID 153638052. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
210. ^ Заселение освобожденных территорий противоречит стратегическим интересам России [The settlement of the liberated territories is contrary to the strategic interests of Russia], Nyut.am (in Russian), Yerevan, 15 July 2013, archived from the original on 28 September 2015
211. ^ "Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War". Archived from the original on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019 – via International Committee of the Red Cross – Treaties, State parties, and Commentaries. Article 49.
212. ^ Azimov, Gafar (13 May 2011), Правящая партия Азербайджана направила протест сопредседателям Минской группы ОБСЕ [The ruling party of Azerbaijan sent a protest to the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group], Aze.az (in Russian), Baku, archived from the original on 8 January 2016
213. ^ Население Азербайджана: Азербайджанская ССР (1979 г.) (без Нагорно-Карабахской АО) [Population of Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan SSR (1979) (excluding NKAO)]. Ethno-Caucasus. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
214. ^ Haber, Emily; et al. (28 February 2005), Report of the OSCE Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) (PDF), Yerevan: Partnership for Open Society, archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015
215. ^ "Report of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' Field Assessment Mission to the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh" (PDF) (Executive Summary). October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
216. ^ "Press Release by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group". OSCE. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
217. ^ "UN in Armenia". United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015.
218. ^ Martirosyan, Nana (3 June 2015). "ru:Давид Бабаян: Армения и Арцах приняли сирийских беженцев, исходя из гуманитарных принципов" [David Babayan: Armenia and Artsakh accepted Syrian refugees based on humanitarian principles]. ArmInfo (in Russian). Yerevan. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015.
219. ^ "Syria's Armenians are fleeing to their ancestral homeland". The Economist. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017.
220. ^ Поселившиеся в Арцахе сирийские армяне говорят о своих чаяниях [Syrian Armenians who settled in Artsakh speak about their aspirations], NKR News (in Russian), 26 December 2014, archived from the original on 28 September 2015 – via ru.hayernaysor.am
221. ^ Глава МИД Азербайджана о поэтапном урегулировании нагорно-карабахского конфликта [Azerbaijani Foreign Minister on the phased settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict], Trend News Agency (in Russian), Baku, 15 September 2015, archived from the original on 28 September 2015
222. ^ Shagunyan, Tatevik (1 March 2019), Ванецян: Реализуя программы по заселению южных районов Арцаха, мы посылаем миру месседж о невозможности территориальных уступок [Vanetsyan: By implementing programs for the settlement of the southern regions of Artsakh, we send a message to the world about the impossibility of territorial concessions], ArmInfo (in Russian), archived from the original on 2 March 2019
223. ^ "New settlements in Artsakh: Leyla Abdullayeva vs. Artur Vanetsyan". mediamax.am. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019.
224. ^ "Armenians torch their own homes outside Nagorno-Karabakh". Deutsche Welle. 14 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
225. ^ Henze, Paul B. (1 January 1991). "The demography of the Caucasus according to 1989 Soviet census data". Central Asian Survey. 10 (1–2): 147–170\. doi:10.1080/02634939108400741. ISSN 0263-4937. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.1–2&rft.pages=147-170&rft.date=1991-01-01&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080/02634939108400741&rft.issn=0263-4937&rft.aulast=Henze&rft.aufirst=Paul+B.&rft_id=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02634939108400741?journalCode=ccas20&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Republic+of+Artsakh" class="Z3988">
226. ^ Welt, Cory D. (2004). Explaining ethnic conflict in the South Caucasus: Mountainous Karabagh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia (PhD). Stephen Van Evera, advisor. MIT Dept. of Political Science. hdl:1721.1/28757. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
227. ^ Справочник статистических показателей – Демографические показатели по 15 новым независимым государствам [Handbook of statistical indicators – Demographics for the 15 Newly Independent States]. Демоскоп [Demoscope] Weekly (in Russian). n.d. [All-Union population census of 1989; vol 1, Part 1, Table 3: Current population]. ISSN 1726-2887. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
228. ^ a b "Artsakh Parliament approves bill on granting official status to Russian language". Armenpress. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
229. ^ "Russian Language to Get Official Status in Artsakh". UNC Dornsife: Institute of Armenian Studies. 16 February 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
230. ^ Pavstos Byuzand. Armenian History. Yerevan. 1987. page 17
231. ^ Movses Kaghankatvatsi. History of Aluank. Book I. Chapter XIV.

> After accepting the rank of [the country's] high priest, he left to enlighten the countries of Iberia and Aluank. He arrived in the ghavar of Haband and preached and admonished not to break the commandments of the Son of God. Here he began the building of a church in Amaras and hired workers and foremen to finish it. After returning to Armenia, he consecrated and appointed instead of himself his son Vrtanes, filled with his father's virtues, who lived according to the [Christian] teaching and punished and admonished all those who adhered to the heresy of idol-worship.

232. ^ Viviano, Frank. "The Rebirth of Armenia", National Geographic Magazine, March 2004
233. ^ John Noble, Michael Kohn, Danielle Systermans. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lonely Planet; 3rd ed. (2008), p. 307 [ISBN missing]
234. ^ "Dadivank under protection of Russian peacekeepers". Armenpress.am. 14 November 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
235. ^ "Education in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic". Washington, DC: The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) in the USA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
236. ^ "The Artsakh State University". www.asu.am.
237. ^ "Historical Review".
238. ^ ""GRIGOR NAREKATSI" UNIVERSITY • ARMENIA (YEREVAN) • SPYUR".
239. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
240. ^ "Karabakh's Frontline Artists". chaikhana.
241. ^ Khatcherian, Hrair, Artsakh: A Photographic Journey, p. 49
242. ^ "Deconstructed: The Hidden Siege of Nagorno-Karabakh". The Intercept. 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023. "Journalist Alison Tahmizian: "Artsakh is always called the shield of Armenia, because it's been shielding Armenia from what's coming next, what they would like to implement next, which is to seize southern Armenia""
243. ^ "Artsakh is a 'shield' that has protected Armenia for centuries, FM says". www.panorama.am. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023. "In December, 2022, Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan wrote "[Artsakh] is a shield that has protected Armenia for centuries and ensured the security of the Armenian people.""
244. ^ a b Marsden, Philip. "PhD? I'd rather be a terrorist". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
245. ^ Melkonian, Markar (2008). My Brother's Road : an American's Fateful Journey to Armenia. London: I.B. Tauris & Company, Ltd. pp. 234–235\. ISBN 978-1-78673-953-7. OCLC 1153808777.
246. ^ "Գլխավոր".
247. ^ Աբխազիայի ու Արցախի հավաքականները բաժանվեցին խաղաղությամբ՝ 1:1 [The teams of Abkhazia and Artsakh split peacefully, 1:1]. Tert.am (in Armenian). Yerevan. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
248. ^ "Armenia's newly formed second national football team to face Abkhazia". News.am Sport. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
249. ^ "Holidays and Memorable Days in Nagorno Karabagh Republic". Official website of the President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Ghazaryan, Narine (2021). "The Legal System of Nagorno-Karabakh: International and European Considerations". Unrecognized Entities. Brill Nijhoff. ISBN 978-90-04-49910-2.

## External links

[edit]

Republic of Artsakh at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* News from Wikinews
* Quotations from Wikiquote
* Texts from Wikisource
* Textbooks from Wikibooks
* Resources from Wikiversity
* Travel information from Wikivoyage

* Zinapah – National Foundation For Servicemen Insurance
* Artsakh Investment Fund
* Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Artsakh
* Ministry of Finance and Economy of Artsakh
* Artsakh Public Radio
* Artsakh Relief

* v
* t
* e

Artsakh articles

History
(timeline)|

* Artsakh (historic province)
* Satrapy of Albania
* Arminiya
* Kingdom of Artsakh
* Province of Karabakh
* Liberation struggle of Artsakh of 1724–1731
* Khamsa / Melikdoms of Karabakh
* Karabakh Khanate
* Armenian–Azerbaijani War of 1918–1920
* Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
* First Nagorno-Karabakh War
* 1991 independence referendum
* Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
* Blockade
* 2023 Azerbaijani offensive
* Exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians

Geography|

* Administrative divisions
* Settlements
* Karabakh Range
* Lesser Caucasus
* Aras
* Hakari
* Khachinchay
* Tartar
* Voghji
* Sarsang Reservoir

Politics|

* Artsakh Defence Army
* Constitution
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Law enforcement
* Ministry of Defence
* Ministry of Internal Affair
* National Assembly
* Politics
* President
* President of the National Assembly
* Prime Minister
* State Minister
* State Service of Emergency Situations

Economy|

* Dram (currency)
* Tourism

Culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Cuisine
* Culture
* Languages
* Armenian language
* Museums

Demographics|

* Demographics
* People

Religion|

* Religion
* Armenian Apostolic Church

Symbols|

* Armenian Cross
* Armenian eternity sign
* Coat of arms
* Flag
* We Are Our Mountains

* Category

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations

Current members|

* Abkhazia
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Former members|

* Artsakh (2004–2023)

* v
* t
* e

Irredentism

Africa|

* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Somalia
* South Africa

Asia|

| Eastern|

* China
* unification with Taiwan
* annexation of Tibet
* Japan
* Korea
* Mongolia

|

Southern|

* India
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* East Pakistan
* Kashmir
* Pashtunistan
* Tamil Nadu

Southeastern|

* Cambodia
* Indonesia
* Malaysia
* Philippines
* Thailand
* Timor
* Vietnam

Western|

* Assyria
* Azerbaijan
* Western Azerbaijan
* Cyprus
* Kurdistan
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Gathering of Israel
* Golan Heights
* Syria
* Turkey
* Aegean dispute
* Cyprus
* Pan-Turkism
* Yemen

Europe|

| Eastern|

* Bulgaria
* Czechoslovakia
* Hungary
* Moldova
* Poland
* Kresy
* Intermarium
* Romania
* unification with Moldova
* Russia
* annexation and occupation of Crimea
* proposed annexation of South Ossetia
* invasion and occupation of Ukraine
* Ukraine

|

Northern|

* Belarus
* Finland
* Karelia

Southern|

* Albania
* unification with Kosovo
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Croatia
* Greece
* Aegean dispute
* Cyprus
* Enosis
* Megali Idea
* North Macedonia
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Kosovo Myth
* partition of Kosovo
* Spain
* Galicia
* Slovenia
* Yugoslavia

Italy|

* Corfu
* Corsica
* Dalmatia
* Istria
* Italian Grisons
* Malta
* Nice
* Savoy
* Ticino

Western|

* Belgium
* Celtics
* France
* Wallonia
* Germany
* Austria
* annexation of Austria
* Pan-Germanism
* Greater Germanic Reich
* Lebensraum
* Ireland
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

North America|

* Canada
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* Mexico
* Saint Martin
* United States
* 51st state
* Canada
* Greenland
* Mexico
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic

Oceania|

* Australia
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa

South America|

* Argentina
* Chile
* Colombia
* Venezuela

Related concepts: Border changes since 1914 · Partitionism · Reunification · Revanchism · Revisionism · Rump state

* v
* t
* e

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Background|

* Nagorno-Karabakh
* History
* Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920)
* Deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia
* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* Wars in the Caucasus
* Karabakh movement
* Miatsum
* Armenians in Azerbaijan
* Armenians in Baku
* Azerbaijanis in Armenia
* Anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan
* Armenia–Azerbaijan relations

First war (1988–1994)|

* Çardaqlı clash
* Askeran clash
* Sumgait pogrom
* Gugark pogrom
* Zvartnots Airport clash
* Shusha and Stepanakert pogroms
* Kirovabad pogrom
* Il-76 crash near Leninakan (1988)
* Baku pogrom
* Bağanis Ayrum
* 1990 Tbilisi–Agdam bus bombing
* Operation Ring
* Voskepar massacre
* Battle of Togh
* 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown
* Law on Abolishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
* Siege of Stepanakert
* Operation Dashalty
* 1992 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown
* Capture of Gushchular and Malibeyli
* Capture of Garadaghly
* Khojaly massacre
* Maraga massacre
* Capture of Shusha
* Capture of Artsvashen
* Operation Goranboy
* Mardakert and Martuni Offensives
* Operation Həsənqaya
* Battle of Lachin
* Operation Qazançı
* 1993 Azerbaijani coup d'état
* Battle of Kalbajar
* Battle of Aghdam
* 1993 Summer Offensives
* Operation Geghamasar
* Operation Horadiz
* Operation Kalbajar
* 1994 Baku Metro bombings
* 1994 Iranian Air Force C-130 shootdown
* 1994 Bagratashen bombing
* Refugees in Azerbaijan

Interwar clashes|

* 2008 Mardakert clashes
* January 2009 Agdam military incident
* September 2009 Agdam military incident
* 2010 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes
* 2010 Mardakert clashes
* 2012 Armenian–Azerbaijani border clashes
* 2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
* 2014 Armenian Mil Mi-24 shootdown
* 2016 Odundağ clashes
* 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
* 2017 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
* Shelling of Alxanlı
* 2018 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
* 2019 clash near Chinari
* July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
* Incidents
* Protests in Azerbaijan
* Reactions

Second war (2020)|

* Timeline
* Casualties
* International reactions
* Allegations of third-party involvement
* Madagiz offensive
* Aras Valley campaign
* Bombardments (Barda, Ganja, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, Martuni, Stepanakert, Tartar)
* Battle of Hadrut
* Lachin offensive
* Battle of Shusha
* Russian Mil Mi-24 shootdown
* War crimes
* Treatment of Armenian POWs

Post-ceasefire events|

* 2020–2021 Armenian protests
* Chaylaggala and Hin Tagher
* Border crisis
* September 2022 escalation
* Susuzluq
* Shusha
* Farukh
* 2022 Armenian protests
* Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh
* 2023 Azerbaijani offensive
* Protests in Armenia
* Flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians
* Berkadzor fuel depot explosion

Main locations|

* Administrative divisions of the Republic of Artsakh
* Stepanakert
* Askeran Province
* Hadrut Province
* Kashatagh Province
* Martakert Province
* Martuni Province
* Shahumyan Province
* Shushi Province
* Armenian-occupied territories
* Aghdam District
* Fuzuli District
* Jabrayil District
* Kalbajar District
* Lachin District
* Lachin corridor
* Qubadli District
* Zangilan District

Political leaders|

* Armenia
* Levon Ter-Petrosyan
* Robert Kocharyan
* Serzh Sargsyan
* Nikol Pashinyan

* Republic of Artsakh
* Artur Mkrtchyan
* Robert Kocharyan
* Leonard Petrosyan
* Arkadi Ghukasyan
* Bako Sahakyan
* Arayik Harutyunyan
* Samvel Shahramanyan

* Azerbaijan
* Ayaz Mutallibov
* Abulfaz Elchibey
* Heydar Aliyev
* Ilham Aliyev
* Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh
* Bayram Safarov
* Nizami Bahmanov
* Tural Ganjaliyev

* Russia
* Mikhail Gorbachev
* Boris Yeltsin
* Vladimir Putin

* Turkey
* Turgut Özal
* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Military leaders|

* Armenia
* Vazgen Sargsyan
* Gurgen Dalibaltayan
* Norat Ter-Grigoryants
* Jirair Sefilian
* Tiran Khachatryan
* Seyran Ohanyan

* Republic of Artsakh
* Samvel Babayan
* Kristapor Ivanyan
* Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan
* Monte Melkonian
* Jalal Harutyunyan
* Mikael Arzumanyan

* Azerbaijan
* Isgandar Hamidov
* Rahim Gaziyev
* Surat Huseynov
* Valeh Barshadly
* Mais Barkhudarov
* Hikmat Mirzayev
* Hikmat Hasanov

* Russia
* Viktor Polyanichko
* Pavel Grachev
* Rustam Muradov

* Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
* Shamil Basayev

* Afghanistan
* Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Peace process|

* Baker rules
* Bishkek Protocol
* Tehran Communiqué
* Zheleznovodsk Communiqué
* OSCE Minsk Group
* Prague Process
* Madrid Principles
* 2020 ceasefire agreement
* 2020–2024 monitoring and peacekeeping
* Russia
* OSCE
* EU
* EUMCAP Oct–Dec 2022
* EUPAT Dec 2022–Jan 2023
* EUMA Feb 2023–present
* 2023 ceasefire agreement

International documents|

* Astrakhan Declaration
* Nagorno-Karabakh Declaration
* NATO Lisbon Summit Declaration
* OIC Resolution 10/11
* OIC Resolution 10/37
* PACE Resolution 1416
* PACE Resolution 2085
* UNGA Resolution 48/114
* UNGA Resolution 60/285
* UNGA Resolution 62/243
* UNSC resolutions
* 822
* 853
* 874
* 884

* v
* t
* e

Historical states and regions of Armenia

Independent Armenian
states|

* Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) (Orontids, Artaxiads and Arsacids, 553 BC–428 AD)
* Kingdom of Armenia (Middle Ages) (Bagratunis, 884–1045)
* Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Rubenids, Hethumids and Lusignans, 1080–1375)
* Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)
* Republic of Armenia (1991–present)

Minor or dependent
Armenian states|

* Satrapy of Armenia (Orontids, 522–331 BC)
* Principality of Hamamshen (790–1486)
* Kingdom of Vaspurakan (Artsrunis, 908–1021)
* Kingdom of Vanand (963–1064)
* Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget (Kiurikians, 979–1118)
* Kingdom of Syunik (Siunis, 987–1170)
* Kingdom of Artsakh (Khachen, 1000–1261)
* Zakarid Principality of Armenia (Zakarians, 1201–1335)
* Melikdoms of Karabakh (Beglarians, Israelians, Hasan-Jalalians, Shanazarians and Avanians, 1603–1822)
* Republic of Mountainous Armenia (1921, unrecognized)
* Soviet Armenia (1920–1991)
* Artsakh (1991–2023, unrecognized)

Provinces or Ashkharhs
of Armenia Major|

* Upper Armenia
* Sophene
* Arzanene
* Turuberan
* Moxoene
* Corduene
* Nor Shirakan
* Vaspurakan
* Syunik
* Artsakh
* Paytakaran
* Utik
* Gugark
* Tayk
* Ayrarat

Other Armenian regions|

* Lesser Armenia
* First
* Second
* Third
* Armenian Mesopotamia
* Cilicia
* Mountainous
* Plain
* Rocky

Other provinces under
Tigranes the Great|

* Syria
* Atropatene
* Adiabene
* Assyria
* Iberia
* Albania
* Cappadocia
* Judea
* Osroene

* v
* t
* e

Regionalism, separatism and stateless nationalism in Asia

List of active separatist movements in Asia

Afghanistan|

* Hazara
* Pashtun
* South Turkestani

Azerbaijan|

* Artsakh
* Kurdish
* Lezgin
* Talysh

China|

* Bashu
* Cantonese
* East Turkestan
* Hong Kong
* Macau
* Manchurian
* Southern Mongolian
* Shanghainese
* Tibetan

Cyprus|

* Turkish Cypriot

Georgia|

* Abkhazian
* Adjarian
* Javakheti
* Ossetian

India|

* Assamese
* Bodo
* Kashmiri
* Khalistan
* Manipuri
* Naga
* Tamil
* Tripuri

Indonesia|

* Aceh
* West Papuan

Iran|

* Assyrian
* Baloch
* Kurdish
* South Azerbaijani

Iraq|

* Assyrian
* Kurdish
* Turkmeneli

Japan|

* Ryukyu

Kazakhstan|

* North Kazakhstan

Malaysia|

* Sarawak

Myanmar|

* Chin
* Kachin
* Karen
* Kokang
* Mon
* Palaung
* Rakhine
* Rohingya
* Shan
* Wa

Pakistan|

* Balawaristan
* Baloch
* Kashmiri
* Pashtun
* Sindh

Philippines|

* Bangsamoro

Russia|

* Balkar and Karachay
* Bashkir
* Buryat
* Chechen
* Chuvash
* Circassian
* Crimean Tatar
* Ingush
* Karelian
* Lezgin
* Manchu
* Ossetian
* Sámi
* Siberian
* Tatar

Saudi Arabia|

* Qatifi

Sri Lanka|

* Tamil

Syria|

* Assyrian
* Kurdish
* Turkmen

Thailand|

* Patani

Turkey|

* Assyrian
* Eastern Greek
* Kurdish
* Western Armenian

Uzbekistan|

* Karakalpak

Vietnam|

* Cham
* Montagnard [vi]

Yemen|

* South Yemeni

* v
* t
* e

Movements of regionalism, separatism and stateless nationalism in Europe

Albania|

* Northern Epirus

Azerbaijan|

* Artsakh
* Kurdish
* Lezgin
* Talysh

Belgium|

* Flemish
* Walloon

Bosnia and
Herzegovina|

* Republika Srpska

Croatia|

* Istrian

Cyprus|

* Turkish Cypriot
* Greek Cypriot

Denmark|

* Greenlandic
* Faroese

Finland|

* Ålandic
* Sámi

France|

* Alsatian
* Basque
* Breton
* Corsican
* Occitan
* North Catalan

Georgia|

* Abkhazian
* Adjarian
* Javakheti
* Ossetian

Germany|

* Bavarian
* Sorbs
* Swabians

Greece|

* Cham Albanian

Italy|

* Lombard
* Padanian
* Sardinian
* Sicilian
* South Tyrolean
* Venetian

Kazakhstan|

* North Kazakhstan

Kosovo|

* North Kosovo

North Macedonia|

* Ilirida

Moldova|

* Gagauzia
* Transnistria

Netherlands|

* Frisian

Norway|

* Sámi

Poland|

* Kashubian
* Silesian
* Free City of Danzig

Romania|

* Székely
* Transylvania–Banat

Russia|

* Balkar and Karachay
* Bashkir
* Chechen
* Chuvash
* Circassian
* Crimean Tatar
* Ingush
* Karelian
* Lezgin
* Manchu
* Ossetian
* Sámi
* Siberian
* Tatar

Serbia|

* Vojvodina
* Presevo Valley
* Sandzak

Spain|

* Andalusian
* Aragonese
* Asturian
* Basque
* Canarian
* Castilian
* Catalan
* Galician
* Leonese
* Murcian
* Navarrese
* Valencian

Sweden|

* Sámi
* Scania

Turkey|

* Assyrian
* Eastern Greek
* Kurdish
* Western Armenian

Ukraine|

* Crimean
* Donetsk
* Luhansk

United Kingdom|

* Cornish
* Northern Irish
* Scottish
* United Ireland
* Welsh

See also|

* First-level NUTS of the European Union

*[lit.]: literal translation
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template