Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

• 05 Oct 2023

Source: IE

Why in News?

Recently, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, resulting in casualties. The operation is part of a long-standing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region

What is the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict?

• Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a landlocked mountainous area in the Caucasus region (the transcontinental region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea).
  • It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but its inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians.
  • They have their own government which has enjoyed close links to Armenia's but has not been officially recognised by Armenia or any other country.
• The conflict dates back to the late 1980s when the region declared its independence from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed.
  • The first war erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory, which ended with a ceasefire in 1994, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh and some surrounding areas under Armenian control.
  • The ceasefire was frequently violated by both sides, and several attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement failed.
• In 2020, Azerbaijan launched the Second Karabakh War, winning a resounding victory and retaking seven surrounding districts and about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • Russia brokered a peace deal after the Second Karabakh War in 2020 and provided for up to 1,960 Russian peacekeepers stationed in the region. 

Azerbaijan

• Azerbaijan is a country in Asia that is bordered by Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran.
  • The east of the country is bordered by the Caspian Sea.
  • Much of the north and west is covered by the Caucasus Mountains.
• Capital city: Baku.
• Azerbaijan is abundant in oil and natural gas.
• Yanar Dag, a famous site in Azerbaijan, has a natural eternal fire fueled by seeping natural gases, burning for over 65 years along the Caspian Sea. This unique phenomenon aligns with Azerbaijan's nickname, "The Land of Fire."

Armenia

• A landlocked country in the Caucasus with Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, and Azerbaijan to the east.
• Capital: Yerevan.
• Armenia is a mountainous country.
  • Highest Peak: Mount Ararat.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. Consider the following pairs:

	Regions often mentioned in news	Reason for being in news
1.	North Kivu and Ituri	War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
2.	Nagorno-Karabakh	Insurgency in Mozambique
3.	Kherson and Zaporizhzhia	Dispute between Israel and Lebanon

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?(2023)

(a) Only one
(b) Only two 
(c) All three
(d) None

Explanation: (d)

• Kivu and Ituri are related to the Republic of Congo. A war between the Republic of congo and Rawanda started in 1994 with genocide of 800,000 Rawandan Tutsis and Hutus. Hence, pair 1 is not correctly matched.
• Nagorno-Karabakh is a region of southwestern Azerbaijan. It is used to refer to an autonomous oblast (province) of the former Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (S.S.R.) and to the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, a self-declared country whose independence is not internationally recognized. The old autonomous region occupied an area of about 1,700 square miles (4,400 square km), while the forces of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh presently occupy some 2,700 square miles (7,000 square km). Hence, pair 2 is not correctly matched.
• Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are related to Ukraine and they are related to the dispute between Ukraine and Russia. Hence, pair 3 is not correctly matched.