How many Azerbaijani territories were occupied by Armenia during the First Karabakh War?

The aggression perpetrated by the Republic of Armenia against the Azerbaijani Republic from 1988 until the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 1994 caused Azerbaijan severe material and moral damage. This aggression constituted a violation not only of the norms and principles of international law and the UN Charter but also of the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan by the Republic of Armenia. The overall area of the territories in the Republic of Azerbaijan that was occupied and affected by the aggression was 17,000 sq. km. (10,563 sq. miles), approximately 20% of the country, and includes the following:

  • The Nagorno-Karabakh region, the territory of the former NKAO that was abolished in 1991 by Azerbaijan;
  • Seven regions of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh: Lachin, Kalbajar, Agdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubatli, and Zangilan;
  • The territories of Gazakh, Agstafa, Tovuz, and Gadabay, are located at the border with Armenia;
  • Territories in 4 regions at the border of the Line of Contact: Tartar, Goranboy, Aghjabadi, and Beylagan;
  • Territories of the administrative regions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, a landlocked enclave of Azerbaijan surrounded by Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.[1]

[1] “USAN Factsheet on the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,” USAN, November 12, 2012.