Armenia, and the Nagorno-Karabakh region that once belonged to it, have long histories: the cradle of early civilizations, they have been the target of numerous invasions and the scene of great tragedies. For decades, conflicts have arisen between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
In 1923, Joseph Stalin wanted to secure the support of Turkish-speaking Muslims in the region and ceded the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Azerbaijan. With this absurd and brutal redrawing of the country's borders, he created a mountain enclave in Azerbaijan inhabited mainly by Armenians. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the former republics declared their independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh region became a geopolitical powder keg.
Azerbaijan has long demanded control of the region, while the Armenians regard Nagorno-Karabakh as part of their historical homeland. Violence escalated in 1988. In 1990, Russia sent troops to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and the conflict led to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1991-1994) between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia formed a military alliance with Armenia and was seen as the patron of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, though Russia never severed ties with Azerbaijan's government.
But the region has continued to be volatile. In 2020, during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Russia was able to mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan and a temporary ceasefire was agreed upon.
But at the end of 2022, the only access to Nagorno-Karabakh via a mountain road was blocked by Azerbaijan, preventing aid and medicine from reaching the region. This last land connection from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh was actually supposed to be secured by Russia. But Russia, which had begun its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, did nothing.
Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey and rich in oil, blocked the corridor and attacked Nagorno-Karabakh again in September 2023. More than 100,000 Armenians were finally expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2023. Azerbaijan won the war for the region, with the help of Turkey and Israel - and not least due to Russia's passivity.
On 1 January 2024, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was dissolved, despite the fact that it had never been internationally recognized - not even by Armenia.
The conflict extends far beyond Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan. The causes are ethnic, religious, geopolitical and energy-strategic.
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