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In April 2016, Armenia and Azerbaijan opened fire on one another, rekindling a bloody war
over their borders. The two countries have been rivals since their founding nearly a
century ago, and even after more than a dozen ceasefires, have repeatedly clashed over longstanding
regional disputes. So, why do Armenia and Azerbaijan hate each other?
Well, the two were actually once part of a larger country, the Transcaucasian Federation.
In the aftermath of World War I, this country divided into modern day Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, all three of which were integrated into the Soviet Union. Within Azerbaijan,
the USSR created an autonomous region for ethnic Armenians, called Nagorno Karabakh.
Some historians speculate that Joseph Stalin deliberately included this region in Azerbaijan
to appease Turkey, hoping that the country would one day become communist. However, broader
consensus suggests that the decision was part of Stalin’s “divide and rule” strategy,
thus ensuring Armenian cooperation with the Soviet Union. Nagorno-Karabakh is still a
highly disputed territory, and the crux of their modern feud.
Throughout the 20th century, Nagorno-Karabakh made several attempts to unite with Armenia,
as their population is by-and-large ethnically Armenian. Seeing the weakening of the Soviet
Union in the late 1980s, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum, declaring themselves a
sovereign state. However Azerbaijan promptly rejected it, leading to a six year war between
the two countries. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians fled Azerbaijan and vice versa,
and both sides have accused each other of war crimes, including ethnic cleansing and
mutilation. An estimated 30 thousand lives were lost on both sides.
By 1994, Armenian forces had taken control of Nagorno-Karabakh and much of the surrounding
territory, leaving Azerbaijan about 15 percent smaller. After a Russian-brokered ceasefire
that same year, the war officially ended, and Nagorno-Karabakh claimed de facto independence.
But despite the agreement, sporadic violence continued, the largest of which broke out
in early 2016.
Today, Nagorno-Karabakh remains under Armenian separatist control. The region is relatively
small, and is only home to roughly 150 thousand people, nearly all of which are ethnically
Armenian. However, technically the country is still part of Azerbaijan. Although Nagorno-Karabakh
declared independence, the claim has not been recognized by any country, including Armenia.
Since the end of the war, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have accepted a number
of ceasefire agreements, however each one has been broken, some within minutes of their
signing. Azerbaijan has refused to negotiate the future of Nagorno-Karabakh until Armenia
pulls its troops out of the region. But Armenia will not withdraw forces until there is some
form of resolution- creating a frozen conflict.
Further complicating the matter are Armenia and Azerbaijan’s respective allies: Russia
and Turkey. As a majority Christian country, Armenia is supported by Russia and much of
the West, including the United States. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, enjoys close ties with
Turkey, as both are majority Muslim, and Turkey is a long-time enemy of Armenia.
With no clear solution or foreseeable end to the conflict, world powers have generally
taken a backseat until circumstances force them to act. Until they do, the danger of
yet another violent uprising will continue to plague the two nations.
Tension between Armenia and Turkey’s date back to the Ottoman Empire. At the heart of
their turbulent relationship is what is controversially known as the “Armenian Genocide”. You
can learn more about it in our video at the top. And to find out why Turkey and other
nations still deny the Armenian Genocide, check out our video at the bottom. Thanks
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