Karabakh conflict causes and consequences briefly. What is Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh or seven simple facts that explain the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh

The "frozen" conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in 22 years has a real opportunity to turn into a full-scale war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a result of the war in the early 90s, about 30 thousand people died, almost a million were refugees. Ruposters presents a selection of rare photographs of inter-ethnic conflict in the post-Soviet Transcaucasus.

The territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh has been covered since the 4th century BC. was part of the first Armenian kingdom, then - Greater Armenia. After 500 years of being under Arab influence, Karabakh again for a long time (from the 9th to the 18th centuries) became part of the Armenian state formations. In 1813 the territory became part of the Russian Empire.

Khojavend, 1993

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was criticized by all sides of the conflict: both Azerbaijanis (and this despite Gorbachev's statement in July 1990 that "the patience of the Azerbaijani people is not limitless"), and Armenians (local media published "data" about the Turkic origin of the mother of the head of the USSR).

The result of shelling "Grad" of the city of Martakert, 1992

Armenian clergyman

Azerbaijani grandmother and Armenian fighter, 1993

Numerous foreign mercenaries took part in the Karabakh war (1992-1994). Armenia in the war was supported mainly by representatives of the large Armenian diaspora - in particular, fighters from the Dashnaktsutyun party.

Chechen field commanders Basaev, Raduev and Arab Khattab fought on the side of Azerbaijan (an Azerbaijani colonel testifies: “About a hundred Chechen volunteers led by Shamil Basaev and Salman Raduev provided invaluable assistance to us. But they, too, were forced to leave the battlefield due to heavy losses and leave"). According to Western sources, Azerbaijan has attracted several hundred Mujahideen from Afghanistan and Turkish Gray Wolves to its side.

106-year-old Armenian woman, Teh village, January 1, 1990

The outbreak of war in Nagorno-Karabakh in the 90s was not the first armed conflict over the disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the 20th century. The largest clashes were in 1918-1921, when Azerbaijan did not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. It all ended only in 1921, with the establishment of Soviet power in the Caucasus. Then the disputed territory was attached to the Azerbaijan SSR. Unrest in Karabakh flared up every now and then throughout the Soviet period.​

Losses on both sides during the war of 1992-1994 amounted to approximately 30 thousand people. The Azerbaijani authorities estimated their losses at about 20 thousand people - military and civilian. Another 1 million people are said to have become refugees.

Grape pickers under guard

Cemetery in Stepanakert, 1994

Boy with a toy gun, Stepanakert, 1994

As a result of the war, Nagorno-Karabakh received de facto independence from Azerbaijan. At the same time, the territorial structure of the unrecognized republic is quite specific: almost 14% of the former Azerbaijan SSR fell into the NKR, and at the same time, Azerbaijan still controls 15% of the declared territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani writers Shikhly and Semedoglu

The events of February 1992 in the city of Khojaly became one of the blackest pages of the war. After the capture of the city by the self-defense forces of the NKR, from 180 (humans rights watch data) to 613 Azerbaijani civilians (according to the Azerbaijani authorities) died. Some sources suggest that these events could become an "act of retaliation" for the Armenian pogroms in Sumgayit (1988) and Baku (1990), the victims of which, according to various estimates, were from several tens to several hundred people.

Going to school, 1992

Stepanakert, 1992

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The war in Nagorno-Karabakh is smaller in scale than the Chechen one, with about 50,000 deaths, but the duration of this conflict is longer than all the Caucasian wars of recent decades. So, today it is worth remembering why Nagorno-Karabakh became known to the whole world, the essence and causes of the conflict, and what the latest news is from this region.

Prehistory of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh

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

The scoop is to blame

Once, under the USSR, Nagorno-Karabakh was included in the Azerbaijan SSR. By mistake or not by mistake, it doesn't matter, but the Azerbaijanis had paper on land. Probably, it would be possible to agree peacefully, dance a collective lezginka and treat each other with watermelon. But it was not there. The Armenians did not want to live in Azerbaijan, to accept its language and legislation. But they didn’t really intend to dump to Tula to sell tomatoes or to their own Armenia. Their argument was ironclad and quite traditional: “Didas lived here!”.

The Azerbaijanis also did not want to give up their territory, they also had didas living there, and there was also paper on the ground. Therefore, they did exactly the same as Poroshenko in Ukraine, Yeltsin in Chechnya and Snegur in Transnistria. That is, they sent in troops to restore constitutional order and protect the integrity of the borders. The first channel would call it a Bandera punitive operation or an invasion of blue fascists. By the way, the well-known hotbeds of separatism and wars - the Russian Cossacks - actively fought on the side of the Armenians.

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

Everyone probably guesses that there is a Russian trace in this conflict. Russia really could have settled the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh a long time ago, but it is unprofitable for it. Formally, it recognizes the borders of Azerbaijan, but it helps Armenia - just as duplicitously as in Transnistria!

Both states are very dependent on Russia and the Russian government does not want to lose this dependence. Both countries have Russian military installations - in Armenia, the base in Gyumri, and in Azerbaijan - the Gabala radar station. Russian Gazprom deals with both countries, buying gas for supplies to the EU. And if one of the countries comes out from under Russian influence, it will be able to become independent and rich, what good else will it join NATO or hold a gay parade. Therefore, Russia is very interested in the weak countries of the CIS, and that is why it supports death, war and conflicts there.

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

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

I would like to believe that maybe even after 2-3 generations this hatred will subside to nothing.

The Karabakh conflict is an ethno-political conflict in Transcaucasia between Azerbaijanis and Armenians. The intercommunal conflict, which has long historical and cultural roots, acquired a new urgency during the years of perestroika (1987-1988), against the backdrop of a sharp rise in national movements in Armenia and Azerbaijan. By November-December 1988, as noted by A. N. Yamskov, most of the inhabitants of both republics were involved in this conflict, and it actually outgrew the scope of the local problem of Nagorno-Karabakh, turning into an “open interethnic confrontation”, which was only temporarily suspended by the Spitak earthquake . The unpreparedness of the Soviet leadership for adequate political action in an environment of aggravated interethnic strife, the inconsistency of the measures taken, the declaration by the central authorities of an equal degree of guilt of Armenia and Azerbaijan in creating a crisis situation led to the emergence and strengthening of the radical anti-communist opposition in both republics.

In 1991-1994, this confrontation led to large-scale military actions for control over Nagorno-Karabakh and some adjacent territories. In terms of the level of military confrontation, only the Chechen conflict surpassed it, but, as Svante Cornell noted, “of all the Caucasian conflicts, the Karabakh conflict has the greatest strategic and regional significance. This conflict is the only one on the territory of the former Soviet Union in which two independent states are directly involved. Moreover, in the late 1990s, the Karabakh conflict contributed to the formation of opposing groupings of states in the Caucasus and around it.”

On May 5, 1994, the Bishkek Protocol on a truce and ceasefire was signed between Armenia and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on the one hand and Azerbaijan on the other.

As G. V. Starovoitova wrote, “from the point of view of international law, this conflict is an example of contradictions between two fundamental principles: on the one hand, the right of the people to self-determination, and on the other hand, the principle of territorial integrity, according to which only a peaceful change of borders along agreement."

Through a referendum (December 10, 1991), Nagorno-Karabakh tried to gain the right to full independence. The attempt failed, and this region became a hostage to the antagonistic claims of Armenia and Azerbaijan's attempts to retain power.
The result of full-scale military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1991 and early 1992 was the complete or partial capture of seven Azerbaijani regions by regular Armenian units. Following this, military operations using the most modern weapons systems spread to internal Azerbaijan and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Thus, until 1994, Armenian troops occupied 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan, destroyed and plundered 877 settlements, while the death toll was about 18 thousand people, and more than 50 thousand were wounded and disabled.
In 1994, with the help of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, as well as the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Bishkek, Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan signed a protocol, on the basis of which an agreement was reached on a ceasefire. Although, negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict have been ongoing since 1991. The first meeting of representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan took place back in 1993, and since 1999 regular meetings have been held between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Despite this, the "degree" of the war remains, because Azerbaijan is trying with all its might to maintain its former territorial integrity, Armenia insists that it protects the interests of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, as an unrecognized republic, is not a participant in the negotiations at all.

This three-stage conflict has almost a century of history and, for now, it is too early to talk about the end of the third stage, and, consequently, the conflict itself. Resolutions were adopted by the UN Security Council from April to November 1993. These resolutions called on the parties to disarmament and the peaceful settlement of disputed issues. The result of the war of 1987-1991. is the victory of the Armenian side, the actual independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the “freezing” of the conflict. The cruelty of both sides in relation to the population of another nationality, the grossest violations of human rights during operations, torture, arbitrary arrests, detentions. After the defeat of the Azerbaijani side, armenophobia arose, accompanied by the destruction of monuments of Armenian culture, cemeteries. The losses of both sides, according to various sources, number up to 50,000 people. None of the four resolutions of the UN Security Council has been fully implemented, despite their imperative nature.

This ethno-territorial conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has a very interesting composition of the parties. In essence, this is a clash of two political camps - Armenian and Azerbaijani. In fact, it was a clash of three political parties: Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (the interests of Yerevan and Stepanakert had significant differences).

The positions of the parties remain contradictory until now: the NKR wants to remain a sovereign state, Azerbaijan insists on the return of the territory, referring to the observance of the principle of the territorial integrity of the state. Armenia seeks to keep Karabakh under its auspices.

Russia is trying to become a peacemaker in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. But the Kremlin's interests do not allow it to become an independent and impartial arbitrator in the Middle East arena. On November 2, 2008, the three countries held talks in Moscow on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Russia hopes that the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks will ensure stability in the Caucasus.

Russia as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group only one of its functions - a forum for negotiations9), proposed to the negotiators of Armenia and Azerbaijan the draft basic principles for the settlement of the conflict - the Madrid Principles.

By the way, according to the 2010 census, 1182 thousand Armenians live in Russia, and this is the 6th largest nation in Russia. The All-Russian public organization uniting the Armenians of Russia is the Union of Armenians of Russia. If we talk about the goals pursued by him, then this is the multifaceted development and support of Armenians, both in Russia and in Armenia and the NKR.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Transcaucasia, in the eastern part of the Armenian Highlands. Eighty percent of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh are Armenians.

The armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan around Nagorno-Karabakh flared up in the early 90s of the last century. The active hostilities of 1991-1994 led to numerous casualties and destruction, about 1 million inhabitants became refugees.

1987 - 1988

The dissatisfaction of the Armenian population with their socio-economic situation has increased in the region. In October, a protest demonstration against the incidents with the Armenian population of the village of Chardakhlu was held in Yerevan. On December 1, several dozens of protesting residents were beaten and detained by the police, in connection with which the victims turned to the USSR Prosecutor General's Office.

In the same period, a massive collection of signatures was held in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia demanding the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian SSR.
The delegation of Karabakh Armenians handed over signatures, letters and demands to the reception of the Central Committee of the CPSU in Moscow.

February 13, 1988

Stepanakert hosted the first demonstration of protest over the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. Its participants demand the accession of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian SSR.

February 20, 1988

An extraordinary session of people's deputies of the NKAR, at the request of the Armenian deputies, turned to the Supreme Soviets of the Armenian SSR, the Azerbaijan SSR and the USSR with a request to consider and positively resolve the issue of transferring the NKAR from Azerbaijan to Armenia. Azerbaijani deputies refused to participate in the voting.

February 22, 1988

Near the Armenian village of Askeran on the territory of the NKAO, there was a clash with the use of firearms between Azerbaijanis, police and military cordons put up on their way, and the local population.

February 22-23, 1988

The first rallies were held in Baku and other cities of the Azerbaijan SSR in support of the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU on the inadmissibility of revising the existing national-territorial structure. In Armenia, meanwhile, a movement to support the Armenian population of the NKAO was growing.

February 26, 1988

A mass rally was held in Yerevan in support of the transfer of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian SSR.

February 27-29, 1988

Pogroms in Sumgayit, accompanied by massive violence against the Armenian population, robberies, murders, arson and destruction of property.

June 15, 1988

June 17, 1988

The Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR stated that the solution of this issue could not fall within the competence of the Armenian SSR and considered the transfer of the NKAR from the AzSSR to the Armenian SSR impossible.

June 21, 1988

At the session of the regional council of the NKAO, the question of secession from the Azerbaijan SSR was again raised.

July 18, 1988

The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decides that Karabakh remains part of Azerbaijan.

September 21, 1988

Moscow announces the introduction of martial law in the NKAO.

August 1989

Azerbaijan begins an economic blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. Tens of thousands of people are leaving their homes.

January 13-20, 1990

Armenian pogroms in Baku.

April 1991

The divisions of the Soviet troops and OMON launched the “Operation Ring”, officially aimed at disarming the militants in the Armenian village of Chaikend (Getashen).

December 19, 1991

January 26, 1992

The first serious defeat of the Azerbaijani army.
Dozens of soldiers were killed during an attack on the village of Dashalti (Karintak).

February 25-26, 1992

Hundreds of Azerbaijanis were killed as a result of the storming of Khojaly by Armenians.

June 12, 1992

The offensive of the Azerbaijani troops. The Shaumyanovsky district was taken under the control of the military.

May 1994

On May 5, 1994, in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, through the mediation of Russia and the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS, a
agreement on a ceasefire from May 12, 1994 in the region of the Karabakh conflict. Moreover, the ceasefire regime is observed without interference
peacekeepers and the participation of third countries.

Sources:

• human rights watch
• Reuters
• Web site of Nagorno Karabakh Republic office in Washington Sumgait.info
• Chronology of the conflict prepared in August of 1990 by CIA
• Chronology prepared by the “Memorial” Society (Russia)

Experts consider the strengthening of ethnic separatism to be one of the main factors negatively affecting the provision of regional and international security. A vivid example of this in the post-Soviet space for almost three decades has been the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Initially, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan was artificially provoked from outside, and the levers of pressure on the situation were in different hands, which needed confrontation first for the collapse of the USSR, and then for the Karabakh clan to come to power. In addition, the escalating conflict played into the hands of those major players who intended to strengthen their presence in the region. And, finally, the confrontation made it possible to put pressure on Baku to conclude more profitable oil contracts with it. According to the developed scenario, events began in the NKAO and in Yerevan - Azerbaijanis were fired from their jobs, and people were forced to leave for Azerbaijan. Then pogroms began in the Armenian quarters of Sumgayit and in Baku, which, by the way, was the most international city in Transcaucasia.

Political scientist Sergei Kurginyan said that when Armenians were brutally killed at first in Sumgayit, mocking them and performing certain ritual actions, it was not the Azerbaijanis who did it, but people from outside, hired representatives of international private structures. "We know these representatives by name, we know to which structures they belonged then, to which structures they belong now. These people killed Armenians, involved Azerbaijanis in this case, then killed Azerbaijanis, involved Armenians in this case. Then they pushed Armenians and Azerbaijanis , and this controlled tension began. We saw it all, we saw what was behind it, "the political scientist said.

According to Kurginyan, at that time, “demacratoid and liberoid myths, which had nothing to do with this, were already perceived as the ultimate truth, as something self-evident, as something absolutely correct, they already controlled consciousness. All these viruses had already bit into consciousness, and crowds fled in the right direction, towards their own end, towards their own misfortune, towards their own ultimate misfortune, in which they ended up later. This tactic was later used to stir up other conflicts.

Mamikon Babayan, a columnist for Vestnik Kavkaza, is looking for ways to resolve the conflict.

The Karabakh war has become one of the bloodiest in the post-Soviet space. Peoples with close languages ​​and cultures, who lived side by side for centuries, were divided into two warring camps. More than 18,000 people have died over the long period of the conflict, and this figure is constantly growing.

The population on both sides lives in constant tension due to frequent skirmishes, and the danger of a resumption of large-scale war still remains. And it is not only about the war with the use of firearms. The conflict manifests itself in the section of the common historical and cultural heritage, including national music, architecture, literature, and cuisine.

25 years have passed since the signing of the ceasefire in Karabakh, and every year it is more and more difficult for the Azerbaijani leadership to explain to their society why the richest country in the region continues to experience difficulties in resolving the issue of restoring territorial integrity. Today, a real information war is unfolding in the region. Although full-scale hostilities are no longer underway (with the exception of the escalation in April 2016), the war has become a mental phenomenon. Armenia and Karabakh live in tension, which is maintained by forces interested in destabilizing the region. The atmosphere of militarization is noticeable in the educational programs of school and preschool institutions in Armenia and the unrecognized "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". The media do not stop talking about the threat they see in the statements of Azerbaijani politicians.

In Armenia, the Karabakh issue divides society into two camps: those who insist on accepting the de facto situation without any concessions, and those who agree on the need to make painful compromises that will help overcome the post-war crisis consequences, including the economic blockade Armenia. It is worth noting that the veterans of the Karabakh war, who are now in power in Yerevan and "NKR", do not consider the condition of surrendering the occupied regions. The ruling elites of the country understand that an attempt to transfer at least part of the disputed territories under the direct control of Baku will lead to rallies in the Armenian capital, and, perhaps, to civil confrontation in the country. Moreover, many veterans categorically refuse to return the "trophy" territories that they managed to win back in the 1990s.

Despite the obvious crisis in relations, both in Armenia and Azerbaijan there is a general awareness of the negative consequences of what is happening. Until 1987, peaceful coexistence was supported by interethnic marriages. There can be no talk of an "eternal war" between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, since throughout history there were no conditions in Karabakh itself due to which the Azerbaijani population could leave the NKAR (Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region).

Meanwhile, representatives of the Armenian diaspora, who were born and raised in Baku, do not pour negativity on their friends and acquaintances from Azerbaijan. "The people cannot be an enemy," - one can often hear from the lips of the older generation of Azerbaijanis when it comes to Karabakh.

Nevertheless, the Karabakh issue remains a lever of pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan. The problem leaves an imprint on the mental perception of Armenians and Azerbaijanis who live outside the Transcaucasus, which, in turn, serves as a reason for the formation of a negative stereotype of the relationship between the two peoples. To put it simply, the Karabakh problem hinders life, hinders the close attention to the problems of the region's energy security, as well as the implementation of joint transport projects that are beneficial for the entire Transcaucasus. But not a single government dares to take the first step towards a settlement, fearing the end of its political career in case of concessions on the Karabakh issue.

In Baku's understanding, the beginning of the peace process is concrete steps to liberate part of the lands that are currently seized. Azerbaijan considers these territories occupied, referring to the resolutions of the UN Security Council during the Karabakh war of 1992-1993. In Armenia, the prospect of returning land is an extremely painful topic. This is related to the issue of the safety of the local civilian population. During the post-war years, the occupied territories turned into a "security belt", therefore the surrender of strategic heights and territories is unthinkable for Armenian field commanders. But it was after the seizure of territories that were not part of the NKAR that the most massive expulsion of the civilian population took place. Almost 45% of Azerbaijani refugees come from Agdam and Fizuli regions, and Agdam itself remains a ghost town today.

Whose territory is this? It is impossible to answer this question directly, since archeology, architectural monuments give every reason to believe that both the Armenian and Turkic presence in the region dates back centuries. It is a common land and a common home for many nations, including those that are in conflict today. Karabakh for Azerbaijanis is a matter of national importance, since expulsion and expulsion were carried out. Karabakh for Armenians is the idea of ​​the people's struggle for the right to land. It is difficult to find a person in Karabakh who is ready to agree to the return of the adjacent territories, because this topic is linked to the issue of security. The inter-ethnic tension has not been eliminated in the region, overcoming which it will be possible to say that the Karabakh issue will be resolved soon.