Azerbaijan (Armenians)

References

Bremmer, Ian and Ray Taras, eds. Nations and Politics in the Soviet Successor States (NY: Cambridge University Press) 1993.

Fuller, Elizabeth. "Between Anarchy and Despotism." Transition (OMRI Special Issue, 1994 In Review, Part II) pp. 60 - 65.

____. "The Karabakh Mediation Process: Grashev versus the CSCE?" RFE / RL Research Reports (10 June 1994) Vol. 3 (23): 13 - 17.

____. "Russia, Turkey, Iran and the Karabakh Mediation Process." RFE / RL Research Reports (25 February 1994) Vol. 3 (8): 31 - 36.

Hovannisian, Richard G. "Historical Memory and Foreign Relations: The Armenian Perspective." Paper presented at the Russian Littoral Project Conference, "The Influence of History on Russian Foreign Policies of Central Asia and the Caucasus" May 1993, Paper No. 7.

Lexis-Nexis Reports 1990-2003

Monitor. A daily digest published by the Jamestown Foundation.

Olson, James S. ed. An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press) 1994.

Open Media Research Institute. Daily Reports.

Prism. A weekly electronic journal published by the Jamestown Foundation.

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Daily Reports (1993-2003).

"Report on Ethnic Conflict in the Russian Federation and Transcaucasia." From the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project at the John F. Kennedy School of Government (July 1993).

Richter, Anthony. "The Perils of 'Sustainable Empire." Transition (OMRI 15 March 1995) Vol. 1 (3): 14 - 15.

Smith, Graham, ed. The Nationalities Question in the Soviet Union (New York: The Longman Group) 1990.

Swietochowski, Tadeusz. "Azerbaijan: A Borderland at the Crossroads of History." Paper presented at the Russian Littoral Project Conference, "The Influence of History on Russian Foreign Policies of Central Asia and the Caucasus" May 1993, Paper No. 8.

TransCaucasus: A Chronology (A publication of the Armenian National Committee of America) Vols. 1 - 4 (1992 - 1995).

United Nations Information Service release on Azerbaijan. Accesses via the United Nations Home Page on the World Wide Web.

United States Committee for Refugees. 1995 World Refugee Survey. pages 124 and 126.

U. S. State Department. Human Rights Report: Armenia. 1994, 1995, 2001-2003.

U. S. State Department. Human Rights Report: Azerbaijan. 1994, 1995, 2001-2003.

Young, Stephen, Ronald J. Bee and Bruce Seymore II. One Nation Becomes Many: The ACCESS Guide to the Former Soviet Union (Washington, DC: ACCESS) 1992.

Date(s)	Item
Feb 1988	The regional soviet of Nagorno-Karabakh officially requests to be transferred to the sovereignty of Armenia. Azerbaijan refuses and demonstrations in Nagorno-Karabakh and Erevan lead to clashes between Azeris and Armenians in Azerbaijan. The most serious of these is a "pogrom" in the industrial town of Sumgait (near Baku) in which at least 26 Armenians and 6 Azeris are reported to have been killed. Attacks on Azeris in Erevan escalate markedly and the Armenian government fails to pursue and prosecute most of the perpetrators of the attacks. As a result, the violence against Azeris in Armenia escalates and the exodus of Azeris begins. Meanwhile, violence in Azerbaijan against Armenians, especially in Baku, escalates as well. Clashes and mass brawls reportedly become frequent events. The increasing numbers of Azeri refugees in Baku and other urban areas contribute to the increasing levels of violence in Azerbaijan.
Dec 1988	A massive earthquake hits Armenia killing 25,000 people and leaving 500,000 more homeless. It devastates over a third of the Armenian Republic. In the ensuing relief effort, Azerbaijan continues to block all shipments into Armenia. In response to what Azerbaijan authorities saw as attempts to annex Karabakh, Azerbaijan moved to punish Armenia and Armenians by firing Armenian workers and expelling them from their homes in Azerbaijan. Anti-Armenian violence followed and became widespread and uncontrollable. In Sumgait (near Baku) the violence exploded; official reports placed the death toll at 32 (26 of whom were Armenian) with over 100 injured, but Armenians claim the death toll was much higher -- in the hundreds. There also were reports of many less severe attacks on Armenians elsewhere, and of similar attacks by Armenians on Azeris in Karabakh and Armenia in the wake of what Armenians called a "pogrom." In the aftermath, nearly all of the 160,000 Azeris in rural Armenia fled to Azerbaijani territory and 40,000 or more Armenians fled Azeri-dominated areas of Azerbaijan. Likewise, Armenians outside Karabakh fled to either Nagorno Karabakh, Armenia or Russia (Armenians in Erevan severely discriminated against Baku Armenians).
Jan 1989	Moscow moves to regain control over the area by imposing direct rule on Nagorno-Karabakh and Baku, dispatching Interior Ministry troops. The immediate response from Moscow was to promise an economic initiative and provide Armenian broadcasts to the ooblast. Clashes between Armenians and Azeris continue. The Soviet troops have little effect. Three Russian troops of the Interior Ministry are killed protecting a group of Armenians from a mob of Azeris.
Sep 1 - Dec 31, 1989	Azeri citizens and the Azerbaijani Popular Front organize strikes to block shipments of materials to both Armenia and Karabakh and end up forcing Baku to go against the January decree from Moscow. Armenians organize counter blockades against Nakhichevan. Both sides have maintained their blockades off and on to the present.
Nov 1989	Moscow transfers control of Nagorno-Karabakh to a committee of Azeris. Armenia objects, but without result. The Karabakh Committee is dissolved at the convening of the Congress of the Armenian Pan-National Movement in Erevan.
Dec 1, 1989	Armenia declares Nagorno-Karabakh part of a "unified Armenian republic." Moscow responds in January by declaring the move unconstitutional. The entire movement for Armenian independence has grown up from, and out of the movement for unification with Nagorno-Karabakh.
Jan 1990	An Armenian in Baku attacks two Azeris. The response was quick and bloody as Azeri mobs killed 34 Armenians in Baku. The disorder spreads quickly to other towns and Armenians renew their exodus, fleeing Azerbaijani cities. Soviet Interior Ministry troops respond by attempting to crush the Azeri nationalist group, the Azerbaijani Popular Front, killing 130 in a massive operation to arrest its leaders.
Jan 1 - May 31, 1990	Clashes between Azeris and Armenians both on the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia are frequent occurrences. Displaced persons on both sides formed the core of the irregular fighting units and have contributed to the rapid escalation of the fighting. The Communist government of Azerbaijan establishes the legal justification to act militarily to resolve the Karabakh crisis by declaring itself a sovereign nation within the Soviet Union (subjugating Soviet law to their own).
May 1990	The Azerbaijani government announces that the 1989 census figures are inaccurate and are not valid. Armenians read this as a pretext to forcibly remove them from Azerbaijan and to resettle Azeri refugees from Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. In response, demonstrations break out in Armenia and Karabakh and violence quickly ensues.
Aug 23, 1990	A former activist in the Karabakh Committee and Chairman of the Armenian Pan-National Movement, Levon Ter-Petrossian is elected President of Armenia by the Armenian Supreme Soviet. He moves to disarm the irregular Armenian forces in Armenia by mobilizing them in the Armenian National Army (up to 140,000 men). The result was minimal on the activities and the effective leadership of the militias. Armenia declares its sovereignty, establishing the Republic of Armenia. Later they submit the issue of Armenian secession to a referendum to be held September 21, 1991.
Apr 1991	Under the pretext of uprooting Armenian guerillas, Soviet troops forcibly expel 10,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan (outside Nagorno-Karabakh).
Aug 30, 1991	Azerbaijan declares independence from Moscow, but not before checking with Moscow to ensure that Soviet troops would not pull out of the troubled areas before Azerbaijan could form a national guard.
Sep 2, 1991	The Armenian leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh declare their ooblast an independent Soviet Republic. They also announce their willingness to use the constitutional procedures of the Soviet Union to secede from the Union if necessary.
Sep 21, 1991	The referendum on Armenian secession overwhelmingly supports Armenian independence. 99.3% of the vote favors secession and two days later Armenia declares independence.
Dec 21, 1991	Armenia decides to join the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) first established by Russia, Ukraine and Belarus two weeks prior. Azerbaijan tentatively decides to join as well.
Jan 1 - Apr 30, 1992	Serious widescale fighting engulfs Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani forces shell several towns in Karabakh and reportedly attack towns in Armenia.
Jan 6, 1992	The Nagorno-Karabakh legislature declares the independence of the Republic of Mountainous Karabakh.
Mar 1992	As pressure mounts Azerbaijani President Mutalibov resigns his post after receiving guarantees of safety and financial security. A spokesman for the Azeri Popular Front (APF), the leading opposition, denounces Mutalibov's decision to join the CIS. The current Prime Minister, Gasanov, forms a coalition government with the APF which announces it is reconsidering its membership in the CIS.
May 1992	Irregular Armenian forces attack the Azerbaijani province of Nakhichevan in response to shelling of Armenian areas across the border. In separate action they successfully open a corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh called the "Lachin Corridor." This effectively weakens the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan.
May 8, 1992	A ceasefire is signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia, but this fails to be observed by either side.
Jun 1992	After the successful opening of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijani forces counterattack to the east of Karabakh, penetrating deep into Nagorno-Karabakh. Later in the month they launch sporadic attacks on the Lachin Corridor, but do not close it. Armenians claim that elements of the Soviet 23rd and 295th divisions participated in the attacks on behalf of the Azeris.
Jun 5, 1992	Abulfez Elchibey is elected president of Azerbaijan.
Jul 1992	Azerbaijani attacks continue in Nagorno-Karabakh with both sides making limited advances. 10,000 refugees are said to have fled along the Lachin Corridor to Armenia since it was opened.
Aug 1992	Fighting continues unabated while the CSCE, UN, United States, Russia, and Iran try to arrange truces. A Ukrainian SU-25 pilot is shot down and captured in a bombing mission over Karabakh (it should be noted that Nagorno-Karabakh is using Russians and others as mercenaries as well). He is reportedly a mercenary, not a Ukrainian military officer. Azerbaijani forces also capture the town of Ardsvashen which is part of Armenia though it is surrounded by Azerbaijani territory (it is separated from Armenia proper by about 10 kilometers of Azerbaijani territory). Armenian protesters hold mass demonstrations in Erevan demanding the resignation of the government in response to the largescale military losses and failure to provide decisive aid to Karabakh.
Aug 1 - Oct 31, 1992	After first voting to withdraw from CIS barter agreements in August, the Azerbaijani parliament votes 43 to 1 to not join the CIS.
Aug 28, 1992	Another ceasefire is signed (mediated by Kazakhstan), but fails to take hold. The following month another attempt at a ceasefire fails to be observed (that one mediated by Russia).
Sep 1 - Nov 30, 1992	An Azerbaijani offensive brings them within 10 kilometers of Stepanakert (the capital) before being pushed back. The Azeris also continue to pressure the Lachin Corridor, but without being able to close it off. In October, the Armenians of Karabakh successfully open a second corridor to Armenia south of Lachin. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani offensive continues and the shelling of Armenian border villages also continues. Through the period each side makes only minimal gains in territory.
Dec 1992	In December, the Azerbaijani forces launch an attack on several Armenian districts penetrating considerably into Armenian territory. Armenian President Ter-Petrossian protests the incursions and calls for international action.
Jan 1 - Feb 28, 1993	Ethnic Azeris in Georgia reportedly are responsible for sabotaging the last remaining energy pipeline into Armenia. An explosion also destroys the last remaining rail link for Armenia (into Georgia). Mass demonstrations against Ter-Petrossian continue to call for his resignation.
Feb 4, 1993	The State Defense Committee Chairman of Karabakh meets in Erevan with Armenian officials. Officially they discuss the upcoming CSCE talks.
Feb 5 - 22, 1993	In a stunning turn around, a new Armenian offensive captures 12 Azerbaijani-held villages and a strategically important reservoir. An Azerbaijani counterattack with reinforcements is repulsed by the Armenians. The Armenian gains allow them to push the battles to the Azerbaijani town of Agdam. The Armenian forces loot and burn the villages they take, reportedly in order to make an uninhabitable zone around Karabakh and deter the return of Azeris.
Mar 1993	Talks over ending the conflict are fruitless as Azerbaijan refuses to negotiate with the government of Nagorno-Karabakh. Another Armenian offensive captures all of the territory between Karabakh and Armenia. Villages are again looted and burned by the Armenian forces.
May 1 - Jul 31, 1993	A CSCE plan for ending the conflict is accepted by both the Azerbaijani and Armenian governments. The plan calls for a 60 day ceasefire followed by a staged withdrawal of Karabakh forces from the expanded Lachin Corridor under international supervision. The plan is not accepted by the government in Karabakh until Ter-Petrossian visits Karabakh to press for its acceptance. Meanwhile fighting erupts around the Azeri city of Agdam as the Armenians press their gains. They also advance towards the Azeri town of Fizuli just south of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Jun 1993	A rebel Azerbaijani army colonel, Surat Huseinov, leads forces against government forces. He marches on Baku forcing President Elchibey to flee the city. Geidar Aliyev, who was just elected Parliament Chairman, assumes all presidential powers. Parliament votes to back Huseinov, making him Prime Minister and elevates Aliyev to the post of president.
Jul 1 - Aug 31, 1993	U. N. Security Council calls for Nagorno-Karabakh forces to withdraw from recently captured Azerbaijani territory at the behest of Turkey. Nagorno-Karabakh forces continue their assault, gaining control of Dzhebrail near the Iranian border. The Turkish Prime Minister and Foreign Minister warn Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to "rethink their aggression." A successful ceasefire negotiated between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan is ended when the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announces that the Azerbaijani officials who negotiated the ceasefire with the government of Nagorno-Karabakh had done so without permission. Azerbaijani artillery attacks prompt further Armenian advances on the southern Azerbaijani town of Fuzuli. In a related action, Armenian forces advance on the southern Azerbaijani stronghold of Dzhebrail (about 14 kilometers from the Iranian border).
Oct 1993	In Azerbaijani presidential election, parliamentary chairman Geidar Aliyev wins with 98.8% of the vote in a vote that was deemed "undemocratic" by Helsinki Watch. An unstable ceasefire continues to hold between the combatants until sporadic artillery exchanges escalated into open attacks. In the process, the Azerbaijani forces were forced further south along the Araxes River.
Dec 1993	Afghanistan confirms earlier reports that it was supporting the Azerbaijani government in the conflict, including military aid. It is also confirmed that Mujaheddin fighters are in Azerbaijan as well. After a period of relative calm, clashes erupt to the south and to the north around Agdam.
Jan 1 - Feb 28, 1994	In the renewed fighting, Azerbaijani forces make limited advances on fronts to the south, northeast and west. The fiercest fighting is in the west for the area around Kalbajar, north of the Lachin Corridor.
Jan 1 - Apr 30, 1994	In a series of at least three assassinations, prominent Armenian officials from both Armenia proper and Karabakh are killed. Some of the officials are from the opposition party while others represent the ruling coalition. It is not clear who is doing the killing, but it seems plausible that the killings are related to organized crime in Armenia, not to the conflict in Karabakh.
Mar 1 - Jun 30, 1994	Fighting on the Armenian border and around Karabakh continues. Artillery barrages on Armenian villages from Nakhichevan open up once again. Officials in Nakhichevan claim that they are the result of renegade units along the border trying to keep tensions there high to avoid being sent to Karabakh.
May 1994	Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a new peace plan, the Bishkek protocol. However, the plan cannot be implemented until further negotiations are completed. Azerbaijani repression of the opposition intensifies as opposition facilities are seized (those of the Azeri Popular Front, the leading opposition) and paramilitary forces attack another opposition party (the National Independence Party). The opposition then forms the Movement of National Resistance rallying around opposition to the recently signed Bishkek peace plan.
Jul 1 - Sep 30, 1994	Ceasefires are agreed to several times, but are continually violated by both sides. Unofficial Turkish assistance to Azerbaijani forces leads officials in Karabakh to threaten the "ceasefires."
Jul 3, 1994	A bomb explodes on a train in Baku killing 7 Azeris and wounding 30 more. In a similar attack in March, 12 Azeris were killed. It is uncertain who planted the bombs and why.
Oct 1 - Dec 31, 1994	As the relative calm continues in Karabakh (due to the strained ceasefire), displaced Armenians begin to return to their villages in Armenian-held territory. The government of Nagorno-Karabakh provides assistance to those wishing to return and continues with its plans for rebuilding destroyed villages and structures (it has been doing so for about 6 months). In December, Karabakh Supreme Council adopts a Law on the Presidency establishing the post and later elects Chairman of State Defense Committee, Robert Kocharian. This move seems to signal a partial return to "normalcy" at least for the government of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Jan 1995	Karabakh officials report that nearly 25,000 refugees have returned to Nagorno-Karabakh during 1994. Azerbaijani forces are reportedly building up around Karabakh and artillery attacks become more intense despite the ceasefire.
Feb 1 - Apr 30, 1995	No new offensives are launched, but sporadic attacks continue along the front lines. In further moves strengthening the Karabakh government, they establish a redevelopment plan and economic reform plan. These moves appear to be strengthening the position of Karabakh as a republic independent of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Ties between Karabakh and Armenia which had been strained over the continued refusal of President Ter-Petrossian to overtly assist Karabakh in the conflict have become more cordial over the past year. The relations have taken on the appearance of equals as agreements are signed forming closer economic ties between the two republics.
Apr 1995	The International Committee of the Red Cross reports that violations of the ceasefire have increased over the past month.
May 1995	Open (and reportedly fair) elections are held for the Karabakh parliament. 24 of 33 seats are filled in the first round of voting and the remaining 9 seats are filled in the second round. Voter turnout was 71% and nearly 80% in the two rounds respectively. Russian parliamentary figures begin to call on Azerbaijan to extend full diplomatic recognition to Nagorno Karabakh in order to bring the conflict to a resolution.
Aug 1995	Russia continues to place considerable pressure on Azerbaijan to join the defense arrangements of the CIS, thus allowing them to station Russian military forces in Azerbaijan. President Aliyev has requested assistance from Turkey, the OSCE and the United States in resisting these pressures. Azerbaijan has also concluded discussions with Turkey concerning the desirability of oil pipelines which would run through both Turkey and Georgia, thus excluding Russia in future dealings. Russia's relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan have soured over the past month or so. Moscow newspapers have begun blasting the "authoritarian" crackdown of the Ter-Petrossian regime. In talks sponsored by the OSCE which excluded Karabakh officials, Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan all agreed that the main sticking point to progress at this time is the rigid position of the Karabakh government. The Armenian government of Nagorno Karabakh has been insisting that the political status of Karabakh be at the top of any negotiation agenda.
Sep 5, 1995	A new round of Karabakh peace talks opened near Moscow. The talks were co-chaired by Valenin Lozinsky and Heikki Talvitie, Russian and Finnish representatives of the OSCE Minsk conference, and were attended by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Karabakh delegations. Negotiations focused on the prospects of a large-scale political agreement (BBC).
Oct 5, 1995	A delegation of OSCE officials mediating a settlement to the conflict in Nagornyy Karabakh arrived in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. Heydar Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, said at talks with the delegation that Baku would abide the cease-fire agreement until a political agreement was reached. "We want the freeing of occupied territories, inviolability of borders, the return of refugees home and establishment of peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia," the president said. The OSCE delegation had arrived in Baku following talks with Armenian and Karabakh leaders in Yerevan and Stepanakert (BBC).