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mardi 21 janvier 2025

 

The historical Azerbaijani territories of Karabakh, Nakhitchevan and Zengezur under Armenian claims



 





Dr. Vazeh ASKAROV

Doctor of the University of Strasbourg
Member of the Board of Directors of the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP)
Acting Rector of the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU)

         Key words: deportation, immigration, history, sociology, diaspora, migration

Abstract: The Armenian-Azerbaijani Karabakh conflict was regarded as one of the most terrible conflicts of the twenty-first century, with the consequences affecting the lives of millions of Azerbaijanis. The Karabakh conflict over officially began in 1986 with the first refugees expelled from the regions of Gafan and Megri (Armenia). This issue is well-known around the world because it only surfaced during the Glasnost era. However, starting to study the origins of this conflict from the time of perestroika does not seem justified. The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has persisted for more than a century and we need take a look back to have a better understanding of the situation. Armenian claims to the historical Azerbaijani territories (Karabakh, Nakhchivan, Zangezur) were resolved by the Moscow (March 16, 1921) and Kars (October 13, 1921) treaties. The assignment of the Zangezur region to Armenia in 1921 ended the territorial continuity between Azerbaijan and Turkiye (Vazeh Asgarov, 2022: 165-172), As a result of this transfer, Nakhchivan was separated from Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani population in these regions had decreased from 51% in 1897 to 6% in 1926. Moscow accepted and proclaimed the Autonomous Soviet Republic of Karabakh in July 1923 and the Autonomous Soviet Republic of Nakhchivan in March 1924 (Antoine Constant, 2002: 286-296).

1.    Introduction:

Examining the history of Nagorno-Karabakh during the first stages of Sovietization and referring to the archival documents on the issue of "Stalin's transfer", according to the Armenians, we must clarify some questions about the mountainous part of Karabakh, as well as the issues related to Zangezur and Nakhichevan. It should be emphasized that, according to the Armenians, on July 5, 1921, the Caucasian Bureau of the Soviet Communist Party decided to include the Nagorno-Karabakh province in the administrative territory of Azerbaijan. In this circumstance, we see how the communist power of the early years of Sovietisation used the conflict zone to establish itself in other parts of the South Caucasus. N. Narimanov wrote to Lenin that ...the territories that were Azerbaijani under the Musavat government became contested under the Soviet regime, and the people saw this and complained. The Azerbaijani regions of Karabakh, Zangezur, and Nakhchivan were utilized in discussions with Armenia, as demonstrated by an analysis of the correspondence between Chicherin, Lenin, Ordzhonikidze and Narimanov. Blocking all relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye was another justification for this approach (Vazeh Asgarov, 2022: 165).  

Boris Legran[1] sent a coded telegram on September 23, 1920, stating that transferring Zangezur and Nakhchivan to Armenia is not a cause for alarm. However, these territories were necessary for operations in Turkiye and Tabriz. Following the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia (November 29, 1920), a declaration was made on December 1, 1920, proclaiming that... from now on, no territorial issue could be the cause of conflict between the two neighboring nations... However, the dissemination of this declaration was published differently in the press of these two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia. In the Bakinskiy rabochiy and the Kommunist newspapers, it was stated that the self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan was acknowledged. In contrast, the Kommunist newspaper of Armenia published recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of the Socialist Republic of Armenia (Vazeh Asgarov, 2022: 166). However, after the declaration was made, the regions of Nakhchivan and Karabakh remained within Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, in order to implement the treaty between the Soviets and the Kemalist Turkiye (March 16, 1921), Nakhchivan became a very important autonomous region to ensure the security of Turkiye's eastern borders. On July 4, 1921, the Caucasian Bureau (Kavburo) discussed the issue of including Karabakh in Armenia, under the condition of organizing a plebiscite in Nagorno-Karabakh and leaving it within Azerbaijan. On July 5, 1921, Kavburo decided to leave Karabakh within Azerbaijan. These two words, "include" and "leave," would subsequently come into play at the start of this brutal struggle at the end of the 20th century. When the USSR collapsed, Armenians would present themselves favorably to the world as victims of Stalin’s regime, in order to gain sympathy from global opinion. Intellectuals who support Armenian nationalism brought up the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomy following the July 5 ruling.  On July 7, 1923, the Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan issued a decree on the formation of the Autonomous Region of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan.

Throughout the 20th century, Armenian nationalists would raise the Karabakh issue multiple times. At the time, Armenian nationalist activities were halted. However, the perestroika doctrine restored nationalist beliefs not only in Azerbaijan, but also across the USSR. But, none of the former Soviet countries experienced a tragedy as catastrophic as the one that directly affected two former federated republics.

2.    Context:

A number of Azerbaijani territories were also annexed to Armenia during the Soviet era. The process began in 1922 with the transfer of Azerbaijani regions to Armenia such as Dilidjan and Goytche to Armenia. In 1923, nine districts of Nakhchivan were annexed. In 1929, the annexation of several villages from the regions of Gazakh, Zengilan, and Ordubad to Armenia led to the creation of the Meghri region. In 1946, 4,000 hectares of forest, and in 1969, large territories from the regions of Gadabay, Gazakh, Tovuz, and Sederek were transferred to Armenia, although this was only completed in 1984. According to the Treaty of Batumi on June 4, 1918, the size of independent Armenia was 9,000 km² and by 1988, it had increased to 29,743 km². In addition, in the result of the first Karabakh war the Armenian army occupied another 20,000 km² from Karabakh and seven Azerbaijani regions. In contrast, the area of Azerbaijan between 1918 and 1920 was 114,000 km², while the current area of the country is 86,600 km², including the territories occupied by Armenian forces during the I Karabakh war (Arzumanli, Mustafa, 1998, 129). The Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) published a brochure in 2009 in three languages about the consequences of the Armenian aggression. The leaflet gives the chronology of Armenian aggression from 1918 to the most recent Karabakh conflict (Organization of Liberation of Karabakh, 2009).

The first ethnic confromtations in Soviet Azerbaijan occurred in Baku and Sumgait in 1963, and in Karabakh in 1968. In early 1965, one of the first events of Armenian propaganda took place in the Soviet Union. That year, under the influence of the Armenian diaspora, Armenians managed to organize the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the "Armenian genocide" in the USSR. A year earlier, all the media and publishing houses were focused on anti-Turkish propaganda. During this period, the Dashnaktsutyun Party (Armenian nationalist-socialist party), which had previously been underground for many years, began to operate openly. Thanks to Anastas Mikoyan’s tireless efforts, the party simultaneously succeeded commemorate Andranik Ozanian’s the 100th anniversary at the same time. Even Azerbaijani newspapers published articles about him, portraying him as a hero of the Armenian people. At a rally organized on April 23, 1965, in Yerevan, there were posters with the following slogans: "Western Armenia must belong to Armenia," "Nagorno-Karabakh is ours, Nakhchivan is Armenian land," "Armenians, the time for revenge for 1915 has come, unite!" Here, we can easily see that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the Karabakh movement are not recent, and during the Soviet era, and they settled down during the Soviet era but continued to function in secret for a long time (Asadov, 1998).

The Nagorno-Karabakh war[2], which was artificially created at the end of 1987, was viewed by the Azerbaijani people from the start as an attempt to undermine the country's territorial integrity and a violation of its inhabitants' constitutional rights. On January 12, 1989, the Praesidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decision establishing a special regime in the autonomous territory, demonstrating Moscow's intention to remove Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan's administration.

The first 400 Azerbaijani refugees deported from Armenia arrived in Sumgait, the country’s third largest city. Following the anti-Turkish rally held in Yerevan on February 19, 1988, Armenian nationalist’s actions increased even further. The protests will next take place in Karabakh. The goal was to demonstrate the world, with the assistance of the Armenian diaspora, that the Armenians of Karabakh, deprived of their rights, wanted to be annexed to Armenia. Subsequently, they prepared a scenario for a tragedy in Sumgait, involving refugees who had settled there two years earlier from Armenia. Interethnic violence broke out in Sumgait on February 29, 1988, erupted, killing 32 people (26 Armenians and 6 Azerbaijanis) and several injuries after three days of conflict. Two facts particularly stood out: one of the individuals responsible for these events, Pasha Grigoryan, was of Armenian origin, and the Armenian population of Sumgait had closed their savings accounts 15-20 days before these events (Ismayilov, Hasanov, Qafarov, 1995, 310-318).

According to Ariel Kyrou and Maxime Mardoukhaïev (1989: 266) in Le Haut-Karabakh, vu du côté Azerbaïdjan, write: "Three men were judged in a semi-trial after a mock investigation: two Azerbaijanis and one Armenian, Grigorian, who allegedly killed five Armenians".

Saying that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began after the events in Sumgait does not correspond to the truth. According to Azerbaijanis, the conflict began in the late 1980s, when the Azerbaijani people was expelled from Armenia and two Azerbaijanis were murdered in Askeran (Karabakh). However, neither the Azerbaijani press nor the central press reported anything about it. Because this period of the conflict's history remains unknown, until the events of Sumgait, the tactics of Armenian nationalists consisted of threats, extortion and intimidation. In contrast, during the Sumgait episodes, the central media exposed the Azerbaijani people's aggression and inhumanity to the world. 96 people were convicted to death for killing 26 Armenian in Sumgait. However, public opinion was not informed of the brutal deaths of 317 Azerbaijanis in Armenia during this period (Asadov, 1998).

In May 1989, historian Ziya Buniyadov, president of the Academy of Sciences of Baku, provided a highly particular version of the pogroms. In his article "Why Sumgait?", he concluded that the Armenians themselves engineered the Sumgait massacre with the aim of discrediting Azerbaijan and stimulating the Armenian nationalist movement, stating: "The tragedy of Sumgait was carefully planned by Armenian nationalists. Armenian photographers and television crews covertly entered the city a few hours before the event began, anticipating how it would unfold. The first crime was conceived by a certain Grigoryan, who presented himself as an Azerbaijani and who murdered five Armenians in Sumgait" (Vazeh Asgarov, 2014: 2012).

While highlighting additional details, Ariel Kyrou and Maxime Mardoukhaïev (1989: 266) add: "Leaders of the National Self-Determination Union of Armenia, such as Paruyr Hayrikyan, who was exiled to the United States after being expelled from the USSR, assured me that they had many pieces of evidence showing that the first murders were not committed, or at least directed, by Azerbaijanis, but by KGB agents".

In his interview, Victor Ilyukhin[3], the vice-president of the State Duma’s committee, emphasized that: "The events of Sumgait were provoked by the Armenians, at the same time as the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. A large number of Azerbaijanis were expelled, without even being allowed to take documents or essential belongings. It was extremely cruel". When asked who benefited from the pogrom against Armenians in Sumgait, he replied: "It was advantageous for Armenia, for an adventurer like Levon Ter-Petrosyan[4]. They prepared the 'Sumgait card' at a time when the issue of separating Karabakh from Azerbaijan was at stake... In short, they staged a grand spectacle of a great tragedy".

From 1988, the process has been driven by Armenian rather by Azerbaijanis. In March 1988, a special decree on the socio-economic development of the Nagorno-Karabakh region was adopted in the USSR. The approach was as follows: a decree from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, on January 12, 1989, introduced a special form of governance to strip Azerbaijan’s authority over the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO), and transferred control to a special administration committee led by a representative of the Centre (Moscow), which effectively meant the secession of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Soviet administration made efforts to create the image of a normalization of the situation in the region, paying special attention to the issue, while remaining silent about the great tragedy of the Azerbaijani people. On this issue, the neutral position of the Azerbaijani administration of this period betrayed its citizens. In February 1988, at a meeting of the regional Soviet of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO), without the participation of Azerbaijani deputies, a decision was made to separate the NKAO from Azerbaijan and attach it to Armenia. On December 1, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR adopted a decree on the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. This decree contradicted the constitutions of the USSR and Azerbaijan, according to which the territory of a Soviet republic could only be modified by mutual agreement between the interested republics. Moscow's biased policy towards Azerbaijan caused anger and mass protests. Moscow decided to use military force to quell the situation. On the night of January 19–20, 1990, without declaring a state of emergency, the Soviet army massacred at least 137 people in Baku, and hundreds of injuries, disappearances, and arrests were reported (Ismayilov, Həsənov, Qafarov, 1995: 304-326).

During the Karabakh war, from 1987-1991, Armenia undertook a strategy of total expulsion of the Azerbaijani population, expelling over 200,000 Azerbaijanis. In the early 20th century, Azerbaijanis represented almost half of the population of the current territory of Armenia, but today, according to unofficial statistics, there are no Azerbaijanis left in the country, except for prisoners. However, according to non-official information the current number of Armenians living in Azerbaijan is more than 20,000 (Vazeh Asgarov, 2014: 2015).

One of the most horrifying tragedies of this conflict occurred during the night of February 25-26, 1992, the Khojaly massacre. By its population, Khojaly was the second-largest city in the region after Shusha and had the only regional airport. During military operations, the city was surrounded by Armenian soldiers. The residents were forced to leave the city and walk towards Agdam, a neighboring Azerbaijani city. However, most of them were unable to escape an attack launched late at night. That night, the Armenian armed forces, supported by the 366th Russian army regiment, savagely massacred civilians, including the elderly, women, and children. The city was occupied and completely set on fire. Equipped with artillery and more modern weapons than the Azerbaijani fighters, these soldiers carried out the bloodiest massacre in the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict (Constant, 2002).

Second Karabakh War, also known as Operation Iron Fist[5] began in April 2016[6], when Armenia again resorted to military provocation by shelling densely populated areas, including schools, hospitals and places of worship along the contact line. Populist statements by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who came to power in Armenia in 2018, such as “Karabakh is Armenia and that’s it” have undermined the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. In response, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, during his speech at the Valdai International Conference on October 3, 2019, stated “Karabakh is Azerbaijan and an exclamation mark,” fully clarifying some of the unfounded opinions and claims expressed by the Armenian leadership that do not reflect historical realities and the true essence of the conflict. In July 2020, a series of artillery clashes of varying intensity took place, as a result of which at least 16 militaries and one civilian were killed. Among the Azerbaijani military casualties were a major general, a colonel and two majors.

On September 27, 2020, in response to a flagrant violation of the ceasefire by the Armenian armed forces, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched operations. The government announced a partial mobilization. The Azerbaijani army liberated the regions of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli and Shusha in 44 days and the war ended with a ceasefire on November 10, 2020, which is considered Armenia's surrender to Azerbaijan. After 30 years of conflict, Azerbaijan ended the occupation of Armenia and restored its territorial integrity, which had been demanded by the UN since 1993 through four resolutions (No. 822, 853, 874, 884). According to the agreement, Aghdam was liberated on November 20, Kelbajar on November 25, and Lachin on December 1 without firing a single bullet and without suffering any loss of life (Vazeh Asgarov, 2022: 173).  

Another important event is the full restoration of the Republic of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty in 2023, after 30 years. On September 19, 2023, an anti-terrorist operation was launched to restore the Republic of Azerbaijan’s constitutional order and within just 23 hours, the remnants of the Armenian armed forces were disarmed and removed from Azerbaijani lands.

3.    Conclusion:

Armenia's historical claims to the territories of Karabakh, Nakhchivan, and Zangezur are closely intertwined with geopolitical manoeuvres, national identities, and historical narratives. This article chronicles the growth of these claims from the early twentieth century until critical periods such as the Moscow and Kars Treaties, which had a considerable impact on the South Caucasus' geographical geography.

The transfer of Zangezur to Armenia, as well as the establishment of autonomous districts such as Karabakh and Nakhchivan under Soviet administration, drastically altered the demographic character of these areas, diminishing the Azerbaijani population and planting the seeds of a war that continues to this day.

Following the events of February 1988, the militia of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian military forces began operations to conquer the region. The Soviet military units stationed in the region joined them. With the strengthening of the National Movement, in March 1992, A. Mutalibov, the first president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, resigned from his position. The chaos and disorder of the government further weakened the Azerbaijani Republic’s defense capabilities. After two years of fighting, the Armenian army occupied the entire territory of Karabakh and seven additional districts surrounding it. In February 1992, a mediation process was launched to resolve the conflict, within the framework of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE, now OSCE). The United Nations (UN) confirmed the injustice of this war against Azerbaijan, the violation of its territorial integrity, and the territorial occupation of part of Azerbaijan. The United Nations urged the immediate, complete, and unconditional evacuation of all occupying forces from Azerbaijani territory taken as early as 1993, through four resolutions (Nos. 822, 853, 874, and 884). A ceasefire was signed on May 5, 1994, in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). During the CSCE summit in Budapest, on December 5-6, 1994, it was decided that the heads of state and government of the participating countries would create a co-chair of the Minsk Conference to coordinate all mediation actions within this framework. Since that date, dialogue on the peaceful resolution of the conflict has continued, but with no conclusive results.

From 1988 to 1994, the South Caucasus region was the site of a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory located within Azerbaijan. The war intensified over the years, culminating in the Khojaly massacre from February 23 to 26, 1992, where 613 people, including 106 women and 83 children, were killed. After several years of fighting, the war ended in 1994, but tensions remained high. Until the ceasefire agreement signed on May 12, 1994, due to Armenia’s military aggression, 20% of Azerbaijani territory – Khankandi, Khojaly, Shusha, Lachin, Khojavand, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli, Zangilan regions, as well as 13 villages of Tartar, 7 villages of Gazakh and 1 village of Sadarak region of Nakhchivan had been occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

More than a million Azerbaijanis have become refugees or internally displaced people as a result of Armenia's aggression, while over 20,000 Azerbaijanis have been killed in military actions and over 50,000 have become crippled. The fate of 3,889 Azerbaijanis who went missing as a result of the fighting, including 71 children, 267 women, and 326 elderly persons, as well as 871 prisoners and hostages, is unknown.

On November 8, 2020, Ilham Aliyev, Supreme Commander of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, announced the liberation of Shusha, a major strategic city in the conflict. On November 10, 2020, the Azerbaijani president, Armenian prime minister, and Russian president signed a cease-fire agreement, effectively ending military activities in the war zone.

Thus, after 30 years of battle, Azerbaijan was able to end the occupation of its territories by Armenia and restore its territorial integrity, in line with UN resolutions (822, 853, 874, 884) adopted in 1993. According to the agreement, several strategic regions were liberated the same year without combat, such as Aghdam (November 20,), Kelbajar (November 25), and Lachin (December 1). The treaty also included the construction of new transport infrastructure to connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the western regions of Azerbaijan through Armenian territory.

This process of liberation and normalization forced Armenia to sign the act of capitulation, marking the end of the conflict and the military victory of Azerbaijan. The agreement also covers the construction of new transport communications connecting the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the western regions of Azerbaijan through Zangezur.

1.   Constant Antoine (2002) L'Azerbaïdjan, Karthala (Méridiens), Paris.

2. Arzumanlı Vaqif, Mustafa Nazim (1998), Tarixin qara səhifələri, Deportasiya. Soyqırım. Qaçqınlıq, Bakı, Qartal.

3.   Arzumanliı Vaqif (2001) Azerbaycan Diasporu, Bakı, Qartal.

4.  Əliyev Zaur Bilal oğlu. “Zəngəzur dəhlizi: geosiyasi realliqlar və perspektívlər”. Bakı, 2023, 102 s.

5. Асадов  Сaбир (1998), Историческая география Западного Азербайджана, Баку, Азербайджан.

6. Ismayilov E. Həsənov C. Qafarov T. (1995), Azərbaycan tarixi, Baki Oyretmen.

7. Asgarov Vazeh (2014) L’immigration des Azerbaïdjanais, L'immigration générale des Azerbaïdjanais, histoire et perspectives : le cas de la France, Allemagne, PAF, p.425.

8. Asgarov Vazeh (2022) L'immigration des Azerbaïdjanais en France, Edition Kapaz, Strasbourg, France, ISBN: 978-2-492157-03-5, p.341.

9. Kyrou Ariel, Mardoukaiev Maxime (1989), Le Haut-Karabakh, vu du côté Azerbaïdjan, in : HERODOTE, “Les marches de la Russie”, revue de géographie et de géopolitique, IVe  trimestre 1989, N° 54-55.

 10. Гасанли  Джамиль (2011), Нагорный Карабах: старые заблуждения в     новой интерпретации, Баку, ИА REGNUM, URL:                         http://www.regnum.ru/news/1429705.html#ixzz1UENToCSQ



[1] Boris Legran (1884-1936) fut un diplomate soviétique et chef du parti. À partir de la fin novembre 1920, il fut plénipotentiaire de RSFSR dans le RSS d’Arménie et mars 1921, il joua le même rôle en République d’Azerbaïdjan et en Géorgie.

[2] The Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the First Karabakh War, was an armed war fought between Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the ethnic enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan from February 1988 until May 1994.

 [3] Victor Ilyukhin was an assistant to the chief in the Main Instruction of Management at the Prosecutor's Office of the USSR and took part in the investigation of military crimes. He headed the special group for the investigation of events in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan, as well as in Georgia and Armenia. Interview with Victor Ilyukhin 09/09/2010 source: http://www.milaz.info

 [4] First president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998.

[5] The Second Karabakh War (September 27, 2020 - November 10, 2020), also known as the Patriotic War or Operation Iron Fist, is an ongoing armed battle between the Azerbaijani and Armenian Armed Forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is the most severe and longest combat since the 44-day ceasefire that followed Azerbaijan's capitulation of Armenia. 

[6] A military conflict broke out between military units of the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of Armenia, starting on the night of April 1-2, 2016. The April fighting was the heaviest in Nagorno-Karabakh since a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994.

vendredi 17 janvier 2025

 

The January 20 tragedy marked the beginning of a new stage on Azerbaijan's path to independence

 

Dosent Vazeh Askarov

Member of the Board of the New Azerbaijan Party,

Acting Rector of Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University.

         Today, the people of Azerbaijan commemorate the 35th anniversary of the "Black January" tragedy. On January 20, we honor our martyrs with pride and respect. Azerbaijan regained its independence in October 1991. However, like other former Soviet republics, this independence was not achieved easily, without losses, or without bloodshed. January 20 became a significant day in our history. Until recent years, we observed this day with sorrow and grief. Over the years, we have tried to understand how a Soviet soldier could open fire on a Soviet citizen. Both the generation that lived through that day and the current generation of Azerbaijanis take pride in the fact that, on January 20, there were brave sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's independence. Today, this day stands as a glorious milestone in the history of the Azerbaijani people, a day won through their struggle for independence.

The end of the 20th century brought about two significant events that caused major changes in the world: the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which had served as a border fortification between the German Democratic Republic and West Berlin, and the collapse of the USSR in 1991. These events resulted in various changes, including the withdrawal of Soviet forces from conflict zones (such as Afghanistan and Africa) as well as from Germany, under the policies of reconstruction. The acceleration of the USSR's dissolution led to new points of conflict and wars among the peoples of the former Soviet republics, and the Soviet Union gave way to the formation of new independent states. This process also led to the transformation of the Soviet Union into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

During this period, the dissolution of the Soviet Union accelerated, and conflicts between the peoples of the former union began to flare up. This was reflected in the fragmentation of European countries (such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia), the eruption of new conflicts (such as the Balkans and Nagorno-Karabakh), and the consecutive declarations of independence by Azerbaijan and other former Soviet republics in October 1991. This marked the end of the Soviet era in history.

The people of Azerbaijan regained their independence in October 1991. However, like other Soviet republics, this independence did not come easily, without losses, or without bloodshed. A glorious day, January 20, was added to our history. Until recent years, we commemorated this day with sorrow and grief. Over the years, we have tried to understand how a Soviet soldier could be in a position to open fire on a Soviet citizen. The generation that lived through that day, as well as the current generation, takes pride in the fact that on January 20, there were sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's independence. Today, this day stands as a glorious chapter in the history of the Azerbaijani people, a day won in the struggle for independence.

When analyzing the events of those years, it becomes clear that the path to independence for the people of Azerbaijan was far from easy. In Azerbaijan, Mikhail Gorbachev is officially regarded as "the enemy of the people." As the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) and the first and last President of the USSR, Gorbachev fell under the influence of the Armenian lobby, and the entire Azerbaijani population clearly remembers how he isolated Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. From the late 1980s until September 2020, for 30 years, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the frozen conflicts in the former USSR, alongside others such as the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia and Transnistria Moldova. Starting from 1988, the events in Karabakh were no longer led by Azerbaijanis, but by Armenian separatists.


In March 1988, a special decision was made in the USSR regarding the socio-economic development of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. According to the decision, on January 12, 1989, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR passed a resolution to remove Azerbaijan’s authority over the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and replace it with a special form of administration, headed by a representative of the central government. This was effectively a step toward the separation of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The Soviet administration gave special attention to this issue, attempting to create an appearance of normalization in the region. At the same time, it remained silent on the great tragedy of the Azerbaijani people and the first ethnic conflict that flared up in Karabakh.

During that period, the neutral stance of Azerbaijan’s leadership was one of the greatest betrayals of its own people. In February 1988, without the participation of Azerbaijani deputies, a meeting was held in the Soviet of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, where a decision was made to separate Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan and unite it with Armenia.

On December 1, 1989, the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR issued a decree regarding the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. This decree was in violation of both the Soviet and Azerbaijani constitutions, as the territory of a Soviet republic could only be altered with the mutual consent of the respective republics. Moscow’s biased policies toward Azerbaijan sparked anger and mass protests. In response, Moscow chose military intervention to control the situation.

On the night of January 19-20, 1990, at 11:30 PM, without declaring a state of emergency, 26,000 Soviet troops were deployed to the country and entered Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, from five different directions. Soviet soldiers opened fire on Soviet citizens from tanks and armored vehicles. As a result of these events, hundreds of civilians were killed, wounded, and went missing. The bloody statistics of that night, which became known as Bloody January in the memory of our people, are deeply tragic: 137 people were killed, 744 were injured, and 841 were illegally arrested. Of the 137 killed, 117 were Azerbaijanis, 6 were Russians, 3 were Jews, and 3 were Tatars.

From 1987 to 1991, as part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a policy of completely expelling the Azerbaijani population from Armenia was carried out, and nearly 200,000 Azerbaijanis were driven out of their ancestral lands. In the early 20th century, nearly half of what is now Armenia was populated by Azerbaijanis, but today, according to unofficial statistics, there are no Azerbaijanis left in Armenia, except for prisoners. Unofficial statistics suggest that the number of Armenians living in Azerbaijan exceeds 20,000.

From 1988 to 1994, a war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan's territory. The war ended with the occupation of Azerbaijani lands. The conflict reached its peak with the Khojaly massacre, which occurred from February 23-26, 1992, during which 613 people, including 106 women and 83 children, were killed.

It should be noted that the first official reaction to the January 20 events came from the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, who was also the first to describe it as a tragedy against the Azerbaijani people. The day after the events, on January 21, 1990, despite the restrictions imposed by the Soviet regime on him, Heydar Aliyev risked his life and went to Azerbaijan's representative office in Moscow. There, he condemned those responsible for the tragedy and made a statement, emphasizing that the genocide committed against our people was contrary to humanitarian principles. The political and legal assessment of the January 20 tragedy at the state level is also linked to the name of Heydar Aliyev. On November 21, 1990, upon the initiative of Heydar Aliyev, the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was the first to give a political assessment of the January 20 tragedy and adopted a resolution.

In the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On the 4th anniversary of the January 20 tragedy" issued on January 5, 1994, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan was advised to hold a special session regarding the Bloody January events. On March 31, 1998, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a decree on the establishment of the honorary title "Martyr of January 20."

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the "Iron Fist" operation, went down in history for the liberation of Azerbaijani territories from occupation and the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. On September 27, 2020, in response to the gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Armenian Armed Forces, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counteroffensive operations to prevent Armenian provocations. A state of martial law was declared, and partial mobilization was announced across the country.

On November 8, 2020, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, Ilham Aliyev, announced the liberation of Shusha. On November 10, a trilateral agreement was signed by the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the President of Russia to cease all military operations in the conflict zone. Finally, after 30 years of conflict, Azerbaijan, in line with the demands of the four UN Security Council resolutions adopted since 1993 (No. 822, 853, 874, 884), restored its territorial integrity by putting an end to Armenia's occupation.

According to the agreement, on November 20, Agdam was liberated, on November 25, Kelbajar was freed, and on December 1, Lachin was liberated without a single shot being fired or any casualties. The agreement also included the construction of new transport corridors connecting the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan through Armenian territory. Thus, Azerbaijan's military victory forced Armenia to sign a capitulation act on November 10, 2020.