NagornoKarabakhoorlog

NagornoKarabakhoorlog is a term used to describe the long-running conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in the South Caucasus. Although the territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it has been de facto governed by ethnic Armenian authorities since the early 1990s, following a conflict that erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed.

Historically, Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. As tensions rose in the late 1980s, the predominantly Armenian population sought unification with Armenia, leading to violent clashes. From 1992 to 1994, full-scale fighting produced substantial Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding districts. A 1994 ceasefire halted major combat but left a fragile and disputed political arrangement in place.

In 2020, large-scale fighting resumed, resulting in Azerbaijan retaking significant territories around Nagorno-Karabakh and within the surrounding districts. A trilateral ceasefire brokered by Russia on November 9, 2020, established a Russian peacekeeping mission and created a corridor to Armenia. Since then, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved, with periodic clashes and a continued balance of claims, governance, and security.

Humanitarian and political implications include the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, the return and resettlement of residents, and ongoing negotiations under international auspices, including the OSCE Minsk Group framework, though the group has limited leverage. The situation continues to affect regional security, transport routes, and the lives of people in both Armenia and Azerbaijan.