Armenian-controlled territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh

The Armenian-controlled territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh are areas formally part of Azerbaijan and situated outside the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, which are since the end of the Karabakh War controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Contents 1 Nomenclature 2 Description 3 History 4 Legal status 5 External links 6 References

Nomenclature

These areas have also been referred to as:

• Security belt of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ^[6]
• Buffer zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ^[7]
• 7 occupied districts of Azerbaijan around Nagorno-Karabakh ^[8]
• Liberated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh ^[9]

Description

Based on the administrative and territorial division of Azerbaijan, the territory of the security belt of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is located on the territory of the following districts of Azerbaijan:^[10]

• Kelbajar - (1936 km²,^[11] 100% of which is controlled by the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic),
• Lachin - (1,835 km².^[11] - 100%),
• Kubatli - (802 km².^[11] - 100%),
• Jebrail - (1,050 km².^[11] - 100%),
• Zangelan - (707 km².^[11] - 100%),
• Agdam - (1,094 km².^[11] - 77% (842 km²)),
• Fizuli - (1,386 km².^[11] - 33% - 462 km².)

Its total land area is 7,634 km². On the outer perimeter of the belt is a line of direct contact between the military forces of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan.^[12][13]

History

At the outset of the Karabakh conflict, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast / Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was surrounded by territory controlled by Azerbaijan and had no land border with Armenia.

• 18 May 1992, Armenian forces took Lachin, opening the Lachin corridor for land communications between NKR and Armenia. However, the corridor was under constant threat from Azerbaijani forces who repeatedly tried to cut it. A strong offensive by Armenian forces occurred in 1993, resulting in the securing of furtherterriroty to act as a "security zone".
• 27 March 1993, Armenian forces launched an offensive in Kelbajar and by April 5 had completely captured the area of Kelbadzharsky district, creating a strong link between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia and removing from the Lachin corridor the threat of attack from the north.
• 23 July 1993, after 40 days of fighting, officially known in Armenia as the "suppression of enemy firing points", Agdam was taken. Then followed attack in the south:
• 22 August 1993 were taken Fizuli.
• 25 August - Jebrail
• 31 August - Kubatly
• 1 November - Zangelan.

Since then, Armenians have been in control of the entire territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, except for a tiny piece east of Khojavend. In addition, since that time Armenians have controlled all of the territory between the former NKAO to Iran, as well as all of the territory between the former NKAO and Armenia, and some areas to the east surrounding Aghdam. In the north, however, the until 1992 ethnically Armenian Shahumian region, is under the control of Azerbaijan. It was not officially a part of the former NKAO, and though NKR claims it, the Armenians were driven out in 1992 and the Armenian and Azeri forces have been separated on the northern front by the Murovdag mountain chain ever since.^[14]

Since 1994, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held talks on the future of the security belt territories. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has not been involved in these negotiations because Azerbaijan does not recognize the existence of such parties to the conflict. The Armenian side has offered to act in accordance with the "land for status" formula (returning the territory of the security belt to the control of Azerbaijan in exchange for Azerbaijan recognising of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and giving security assurances to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Lachin corridor),^[15] Azerbaijan - on a formula "land for peace" (The territory of a security belt back under the control of Azerbaijan in exchange for security guarantees Azerbaijan remain under the control of NKR territories of the former Nagorny Karabakh). Facilitators have also offered, in particular, the "land for status" option (returning the territory of the security belt to the control of Azerbaijan in exchange for guarantees by Azerbaijan to hold at some point a referendum on the status of Nagorno Karabakh).^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]} As of 2008, the involved parties have failed to reach any agreement.

Legal status

• From the standpoint of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the security belt is territory of Azerbaijan temporarily controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army until the receipt of security guarantees for the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the establishment of control over the whole of the territory declared by Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, with the exception of the Lachin corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with Armenia (which the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has stated it does not intend to return because of its strategic importance) ^[23][24][25] (currently Azerbaijan controls 750 km² of territory claimed by the Nagorno Karabakh Republic^[26] - Shaumyanovsky (630 square kilometers^[11]) and a small part of Martuni and Mardakertsky areas, representing 14.85% of the total area of NKR). According to Article 142 of the Constitution of Nagorno-Karabakh republic "to restore the integrity of national territory of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and clarifying boundaries public power is exercised in the territory actually under the jurisdiction of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic",^[24] that is, including the territory of Azerbaijan, outside the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and Shaumian district, which borders was proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.^[23]
• From the standpoint of Azerbaijan, the "security belt" is territory occupied by Armenia.^[27] In certain documents of international organizations (such as UN, PACE), these areas are also considered as occupied by "Armenian forces",^{[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]} but there are recognized two entities on the Armenian side of the conflict: The Republic of Armenia and "Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan"^[30][32] (in terms of PACE - "Separatist forces"^[42]).

External links

References

1. ^ Нужны ли российские миротворцы в Нагорном Карабахе (Russian)
2. ^ Human Rights Watch. Playing the "Communal Card". Communal Violence and Human Rights. ("By early 1992 full-scale fighting broke out between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijani authorities.") / ("...Karabakh Armenian forces -often with the support of forces from the Republic of Armenia- conducted large-scale operations...") / ("Because 1993 witnessed unrelenting Karabakh Armenian offensives against the Azerbaijani provinces surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh...") / ("Since late 1993, the conflict has also clearly become internationalized: in addition to Azerbaijani and Karabakh Armenian forces, troops from the Republic of Armenia participate on the Karabakh side in fighting inside Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh.")
3. ^ Human Rights Watch. The former Soviet Union. Human Rights Developments. ("In 1992 the conflict grew far more lethal as both sides -the Azerbaijani National Army and free-lance militias fighting along with it, and ethnic Armenians and mercenaries fighting in the Popular Liberation Army of Artsakh- began...")
4. ^ United States Institute of Peace. Nagorno-Karabakh Searching for a Solution. Foreword. ("Nagorno-Karabakh’s armed forces have not only fortified their region, but have also occupied a large swath of surrounding Azeri territory in the hopes of linking the enclave to Armenia.")
5. ^ United States Institute of Peace. Sovereignty after Empire. Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. Hopes and Disappointments: Case Studies. ("Meanwhile, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was gradually transforming into a full-scale war between Azeri and Karabakh irregulars, the latter receiving support from Armenia.") / ("Azerbaijan's objective advantage in terms of human and economic potential has so far been offset by the superior fighting skills and discipline of Nagorno-Karabakh's forces. After a series of offensives, retreats, and counteroffensives, Nagorno-Karabakh now controls a sizable portion of Azerbaijan proper (...), including the Lachin corridor.")
6. ^ Nagorno-Karabakh Gearing Up for Presidential Elections
7. ^ Nagorno Karabakh and Bufferzone
8. ^ Nagorno-Karabakh: A Plan for Peace
9. ^ Robert H. Hewsen, Armenia: A Historical Atlas. The University of Chicago Press, 2001, p. 264. ISBN 978-0-226-33228-4
10. ^ Адекватному пониманию армяно-азербайджанского конфликта мешает распространение и повторение ложной статистики (Russian)
11. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} (in Russian) Азербайджанская ССР - Административно-территориальное деление. Baku: Azgoisdat (Азгоиздат). 1979. 
12. ^ Вооруженное противостояние на Южном Кавказе (Russian)
13. ^ Если завтра война… (Russian)
14. ^ Приднестровье и Нагорный Карабах — два состоявшихся самодостаточных государства (Russian)
15. ^ Контролируемые карабахской стороной территории могут быть возвращены Азербайджану лишь в обмен на независимость НКР -дептутат (Russian)
16. ^ Дартмутская конференция (Russian)
17. ^ Ереван «сдает» Карабах и спешит в объятия НАТО (Russian)
18. ^ Визит действующего председателя ОБСЕ Дмитрия Рупеля (Russian)
19. ^ Препятствия на пути к урегулированию: взгляд из Азербайджана (Russian)
20. ^ Земля преткновения (Russian). Archived 2009-10-25.
21. ^ Переговоры по Карабаху: внимание переключается на президента Алиева (Russian)
22. ^ «Сатана» раскрывает «детали», а «они не нужны нам и подавно»: политики Армении и Карабаха о возможности сдачи территорий (Russian)
23. ^ ^{a b} Декларация о провозглашении Нагорно-Карабахской Республики (Russian)
24. ^ ^{a b} Конституция Нагорно-Карабахской республики (Russian)
25. ^ Т. де Ваал. Черный сад. Ни войны, ни мира. Глава 17 (Russian)
26. ^ Жители Нагорного Карабаха до сих пор подрываются на минах (Russian)
27. ^ Президент Азербайджана: мы продолжим изоляцию Армении и будем наращивать военную мощь (Russian)
28. ^ Резолюция СБ ООН 822 (1993) от 30 апреля 1993 годa (Russian)
29. ^ Резолюция СБ ООН 822 (1993) от 30 апреля 1993 годa
30. ^ ^{a b} Резолюция СБ ООН 853 (1993) от 29 июля 1993 годa (Russian)
31. ^ Резолюция СБ ООН 874 (1993) от 14 октября 1993 годa (Russian)
32. ^ ^{a b} Резолюция СБ ООН 884 (1993) от 12 ноября 1993 годa (Russian)
33. ^ Рекомендация ПАСЕ № 1263 (1995)
34. ^ Доклад ПАСЕ № 7250 (1995)
35. ^ Доклад ПАСЕ № 7260 (1995)
36. ^ Резолюция ПАСЕ № 1059 (1995)
37. ^ Резолюция ПАСЕ № 1119 (1997)
38. ^ Доклад № 7793 (1997)
39. ^ Рекомендация № 1335 (1997)
40. ^ Доклад ПАСЕ № 7837 (1997)
41. ^ Рекомендация ПАСЕ № 1570 (2002) (Russian)
42. ^ ^{a b} Резолюция ПАСЕ № 1416 (2005) (Russian)
43. ^ Доклад ПАСЕ № 10364 (2004) (Russian)