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1

 What is the etymology of the word Karabakh?
Most historians are sure that the toponym has its roots in the Sak and Skif tribes. Thus, even historians with a biased view of Azerbaijan are convinced that the toponym Artsakh comes from the Sak and Skif tribes, not Armenia.

2

 Which historical facts prove that Karabakh is an ancient human settlement and its history dates back to the Stone Age?
The active archaeological expeditions that began during that time visually proved that the territory of Azerbaijan is one of the birthplaces of the world’s ancient civilizations.

3

 Where is the historical-geographical territory of Karabakh?
The territory between the Kura and Aras rivers, where nowadays Karabakh is situated, was an ancient land belonging to Azerbaijan where different tribes once lived independently.

4

 Who were the Caucasian Albanians?
As an ethnic group, Albans were the leading tribe in Caucasian Albania and the whole region. Therefore, according to ancient scholars, Caucasian Albania took its name from Albans.

5

 What was the ethnic origin of the people that lived in Karabakh in the early Middle Ages?
In the beginning of the early Middle Ages, different local tribes whose origins lay in Turkish and Persian ethnic groups lived in Karabakh.

6

 How were the Karabakh melikdoms established, and to what extent can their Armenian origin be historically justified?
Those Christians in Upper Karabakh, therefore, managed to exist as a local administrative and territorial unit and preserved their religion and traditions during the Middle Ages within the territory of Azerbaijani states.

7

 What was the status of Karabakh during the Safavid Empire?
The Karabakh Beylerbeylik was one of the 13 administrative regions of the Safavid Empire. Although it is hard to identify the borders of the Karabakh Beylerbeylik, it is possible to say that it covered the historic Arran region and, more precisely, most of the territory between the Kura and Aras rivers.

8

 What was the status of Karabakh during the Ottoman Empire?
Karabakh was part of the Ottoman Empire for the first time during the reign of Sultan Murad III (1574-1595), after the Istanbul Peace Treaty of 1590 between the Ottoman and the Safavid empires.

9

 How was the Karabakh Khanate established, and what factors influenced its political evolution?
After the death of Nadir Shah, Panah Ali Bey returned to Karabakh and began a political project, which resulted in the establishment of the Karabakh Khanate.

10

 How was the Karabakh Khanate administratively structured?
The most significant assistance provided by the Khan in governing the Khanate was the Khanate’s Divan - an advisory body that functioned under the authority of the Khan.

11

 What was the ethnic composition of the Karabakh Khanate?
Even though the Armenian population increased in number before the end of the Karabakh Khanate due to the migration policy of the Tsarist Empire, it represented only 10% of the entire population of Karabakh.

12

 How was the city of Shusha (Panahabad), the capital of the Karabakh Khanate, founded?
According to the historical sources, the place where Panah Ali Khan founded the Shusha fortress previously was grasslands and pasturages of the ancient human settlement that was situated 6 km from the Fortress.

13

 Why did the Russian Empire increase the role of the Armenians when they started to occupy the Caucasus?
To improve relations between Russians and Armenians, Peter I issued a decree on November 10, 1724, relating to the settlement of Armenians in the territory of the Tsarist Empire under the patronage of Russia.

14

 What were the causes and outcomes of political resistance by the Karabakh meliks during the Karabakh Khanate?
In the light of these developments, Armenian ideologists opposed the Karabakh Khanate openly and actively in order to realize their idea of creating an Armenian state in the territories of the Karabakh Khanate and the western part of Azerbaijan, with the support of the Tsarist Empire.

15

 When was the Treaty of Kurakchay signed, and what were its main provisions?
As a result of this meeting between General Sisianov and Ibrahimkhalil Khan, the Treaty of Kurakchay, consisting of 11 articles, was signed between the Tsarist Empire and the Karabakh Khanate on May 14, 1805.

16

 When was the Treaty of Gulistan signed, and what were its main provisions?
As a result of the Treaty of Gulistan, the historical territory of Azerbaijan was divided into two parts: the north (except Iravan and Nakhchivan) was annexed to the Tsarist Empire, and the south remained in the Persian Empire.

17

 When was the Treaty of Turkmenchay signed, and how did it influence the demographic landscape in Karabakh?
Armenians who had been brought from the Persian Empire were resettled in Azerbaijan by the Tsarist Empire under the terms of Article XV in the Treaty of Turkmenchay.

18

 When was the Treaty of Edirne (Adrianople) signed, and how did it influence the demographic landscape in Karabakh?
Eventually, as a result of the Treaty of Edirne, the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire was given the right to settle in Azerbaijan, as was the case in the Treaty of Turkmenchay.

19

 How did the Russian Empire restructure the administrative-territorial divisions of Karabakh after its occupation?
The khanates of northern Azerbaijan were gradually abolished and converted into provinces and districts after their annexation to the Tsarist Empire at the beginning of the 19th century.

20

 What were the causes of the mass killings of Azerbaijanis in Karabakh by Armenians during 1905–1906?
Regarding the demographic situation in Karabakh and the Shusha uyezd, which covered the territory of today’s Nagorno-Karabakh, the riots of 1905-1906 took place both on a national and an ethnic basis.

21

 What were the consequences of the massacres committed by Armenians in various regions of Azerbaijan in 1918–1920?
The massacres perpetrated by Armenians in Azerbaijan in 1918 were directly related to the siege of Baku by the Baku Council of People’s Commissars after the October Revolution in the Tsarist Empire.

22

 What were the primary causes of the armed conflict between the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Republic of Armenia in 1918–1920?
In light of the ongoing political processes in the international sphere, Armenia made territorial demands on Azerbaijan in the context of its desire to create a “Greater Armenia.”

23

 What political factors led the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic to concede Iravan to Armenia as its capital city?
During the peace conference in Batumi at the end of May 1918, the delegations of both states agreed that “Azerbaijan will not object to the proclamation of Iravan as the capital of Armenia and in response to this gesture of goodwill, Armenia will give up claims to a part of the Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, i.e., the mountainous part of Karabakh.”

24

 Was Karabakh transferred to Azerbaijan, or was it retained as part of Azerbaijan in accordance with the decree of July 5, 1921, by the Caucasus Bureau?
On July 5, 1921, Stalin, together with several Armenian members of Kavbureau CC RCP(b), namely A. Nazaretyan and A. Myasnikyan, decided “on “leaving” or “retaining” Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan and not “transferring” it to anyone: “Nagorno-Karabakh to leave within the borders of Azerbaijan SSR”.

25

 How was the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) established and administratively structured within the Azerbaijan SSR?
The Azerbaijan Central Executive Soviet Committee passed a decree on July 7, 1923, in which it was decided “to establish an autonomous oblast from the Armenian part of the Nagorno-Karabakh, as a constituent part of the ASSR with the center in Khankendi.”

26

 What was Stepanakert’s original name, and what were the reasons for its renaming in 1923?
On September 18, 1923, with the support of S.M.Kirov, the name of Khankendi was changed and named Stepanakert, in honor of Stepan Shaumian, in accordance with the “appeal” of the Armenian population of the Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh.

27

 How was the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) defined in the 1936 Soviet Constitution?
The Constitution resolved issues relating to the formation, organization, and activities of the supreme representative bodies of state power in Union and autonomous republics. Also, it defined the system and powers relating to government, courts, and prosecutors.

28

 What were the underlying political, demographic, and strategic reasons for the deportation of Azerbaijanis from the Armenian SSR in 1948–1953?
On March 10, 1948, a further resolution was adopted authorizing Azerbaijanis to be deported from Armenia. During the deportation, Armenia took special care to deport Azerbaijanis from economically, socially, and culturally significant settlements.

29

 What were the outcomes of Armenian territorial claims over Nagorno-Karabakh between 1945 and 1965?
The counter-proposal by Mir Jafar Bagirov was welcomed neither by Soviet leaders nor by Armenians, and the Armenian leadership withdrew the issue from the agenda and returned to it only after the death of Stalin.

30

 What were the outcomes of attempts to annex Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenian SSR during the 1970s and 1980s?
At a joint session on July 12, 1988, with the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR, the Supreme Soviet of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast unilaterally proclaimed its secession from the Azerbaijan SSR, which duly increased tension further between the two South Caucasus states.

31

 What were the implications of Article 78 in the Soviet Constitution of 1977 for the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast?
Since the Constitution is regarded as a supreme legislature compared to others, Article 78 must be considered a determining factor regarding the regulation of the status of autonomous regions in the former Soviet Union.

32

 What was the ethnic composition of Nagorno-Karabakh during the Soviet period?
The number of ethnic Armenians increased yet again towards the end of the Soviet era, since the make-up of the Nagorno-Karabakh population in 1989 was 76.9% (145,500) ethnic Armenians, 21.5% (40,688) ethnic Azerbaijanis, and 1% (1.99) other ethnic groups.

33

 Was the Armenian population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) discriminated against by the Azerbaijan during the Soviet period?
Within the autonomous oblast, the Armenian language was accepted as one of the working languages for all government, administrative, and judicial bodies and at the Attorney General’s Office.

34

 What were the key events that precipitated the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
The Chardagli event, the transformation of the environmental demonstration in Yerevan into a political movement demanding the unification of NKAO with Armenia, the forced displacement of Azerbaijanis from Erevan, and the killing of two Azerbaijanis in Askeran were the key factors that led to the conflict breaking out.

35

 How did Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika and glasnost influence the emergence and escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
Gorbachev’s “Glasnost” and “Perestroika” policies were crucial in establishing suitable conditions for separatist Armenians to undertake previously planned projects.

36

 How did the leadership of the Soviet Union react to the emergence and escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
The Soviet authority was unable to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, and the policy implemented during that period by the Soviet authority was even one of the main reasons why the conflict escalated further.

37

 What were the underlying causes of the 1988 mass demonstrations in Baku?
The demonstrators protested against Armenia’s intention to build a guesthouse in Topkhana for Yerevan aluminum factory workers. The rally continued for eighteen days until Soviet police could clear the square by force on December 5.

38

 What was the relationship between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Sumgait events of February 1988?
When the group that organized the events was arrested, it was revealed that most of them were former prisoners and that the group leader, Eduard Grigorian, was an Armenian who had killed five Armenians during the events.

39

 What was the relationship between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Black January of January 20, 1990?
Armenia tried to use this event for its benefit, and it argued that the intervention by the Soviet Army in Azerbaijan was to stop the so-called pogrom against the Armenian population in Baku led by the Azerbaijani people.

40

 To what extent did the unilateral declaration of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its secession from Azerbaijan fit the provisions of the Soviet Law of April 3, 1990?
The law should be considered illegal because it contravenes Articles 72 and 78 in the USSR Constitution, which was adopted in 1977 and was still the country’s supreme law at that time.

41

 Why did the Soviet Union “support” Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the summer of 1991?
Regarding the loyalty of the Azerbaijan Communist Party to the central government, Moscow “rewarded” Mutallibov with political and military support at the expense of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for threatening the intention of Armenia for independence.

42

 What was the Tehran Declaration of May 7, 1992?
Despite all Iran’s efforts, the mediation process soon halted when Armenian forces occupied Shusha on May 8. Following the occupation of this region, the Foreign Minister of Iran expressed his country’s concern regarding the new military operation by the Armenians.

43

 When was the Khojaly massacre perpetrated, and was there an intended plan behind the Armenian military attack on Khojaly?
This bloody massacre was one of the worst examples of barbaric terrorist behavior in the history of mankind and should be considered a crime against humanity. The results of the massacre were difficult to reveal: Armenians perpetrated an unheard-of punitive crime against the population of Khojaly.

44

 What was the rationale behind the adoption of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992?
Because of the tumultuous situation in the first two years of Azerbaijan’s independence, the Armenian lobby in America was able to push approval of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act through Congress in 1992, which banned direct aid by the USA government to Azerbaijan.

45

 When was the OSCE Minsk Group established, and what were its intended goals in the context of the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
On March 24, 1992, at a meeting in Helsinki, the OSCE Council asked the Chairman-in-Office to call an immediate conference on Nagorno-Karabakh under its auspices so that a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the crisis could be reached.

46

 Why did Azerbaijan accuse the OSCE Minsk Group of being biased in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
Azerbaijan raised the issue of the impartiality of the Minsk Group since it was co-chaired by Russia, France, and the USA, countries where the large Armenian Diasporas enjoy significant influence on the governments of the respective countries.

47

 What were the main provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 822, adopted on April 30, 1993?
In that resolution, the Security Council further demanded the immediate cessation of hostilities and hostile acts that endangered peace and security in the region and the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of all occupying forces from not only the Kalbajar region but also all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

48

 How did the internal political turmoil of 1993 in Azerbaijan affect the outcome of the First Karabakh War?
During the political turmoil in Azerbaijan in 1993, Armenian military forces managed to occupy the whole region outside Nagorno-Karabakh (Kalbajar, Agdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubatli, and Zangilan) with the support of Russia.

49

 What were the main provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 853, adopted on July 29, 1993?
According to Resolution 853, the Security Council reaffirmed the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Azerbaijan Republic, condemned the capture of the Aghdam region and other occupied areas of Azerbaijan.

50

 What were the main provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 874, adopted on October 14, 1993?
The Resolution also called upon the parties to the conflict to observe the ceasefire established as a result of the direct contacts undertaken with the assistance of the Government of the Russian Federation in support of the CSCE Minsk Group.

51

 What were the main provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 884, adopted on November 12, 1993?
In this Resolution, the Security Council also expressed its serious concern at how the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan had developed, and at how the tensions between the parties to the conflict, Armenia and Azerbaijan, could endanger regional peace and security.

52

 What was the Bishkek Protocol of May 8, 1994?
The Protocol stressed the importance of encouraging every possible option in order to avoid armed hostilities between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

53

 When was the ceasefire agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia?
The ceasefire agreement that came into force at midnight on May 11-12, 1994, was a response to the ceasefire appeal stated in the Bishkek Protocol, which was signed on May 8, 1994, at the meeting of the parliamentary delegations from the CIS countries.

54

 What were the key reasons behind the effectiveness of the Russian-mediated ceasefire in May 1994?
It should be mentioned that the ceasefire was a war-stopping, not a peacemaking attempt, and did not end the conflicting situation in the region.

55

 What were the strategic and political benefits of the ceasefire agreement for Armenia?
It is possible to say that the separatist group successfully reached its first aim, independence, without international recognition.

56

 What were the strategic and political benefits of the ceasefire agreement for Azerbaijan?
The agreement, therefore, offered Azerbaijan an opportunity to stop further military and territorial losses, avoid seeing its population forced from their homes, and bring to an end the massacre of civilian Azerbaijanis by Armenian forces.

57

 How many Azerbaijanis were displaced as a result of the First Karabakh War?
The displacement of ethnic Azerbaijanis from their historical places of residence was a direct consequence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia from 1988 until the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 1994.

58

 What was the extent of the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories during the First Karabakh War?
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.

59

 What was the scale of casualties and destruction for Azerbaijan as a result of the First Karabakh War?
From 1988 to 1994, Armenian military forces looted and destroyed approximately 900 Azerbaijan villages, occupied 20% of Azerbaijan territory, killed more than 20,000, and wounded or injured over 50,000 Azerbaijanis.

60

 What decision was adopted at the CSCE Summit in Budapest on December 4–5, 1994, concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
During the Summit, the Heads of States and Governments of the CSCE member states also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. They added an appropriate provision to the document in this respect.

61

 What were the Lisbon principles of December 3, 1996?
When vetoing the Lisbon principles, Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosian claimed that it predetermined the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was something that should be done later at the Minsk Conference.

62

 What was the OSCE Minsk Group’s “Package deal” peace proposal?
The proposal aimed to find a solution to all aspects of the conflict at the same time, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was included in the peace proposals for the first time by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group.

63

 What was the OSCE Minsk Group’s “Step-by-step deal” peace proposal?
The consequence of the political crisis between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh that culminated as a result of the support of President Ter-Petrosian to the “Step-by-step deal” proposal resulted in a ‘constitutional coup d’état’ in Armenia against the president, and on February 3, 1998, Ter-Petrosian resigned from his presidential post.

64

 What was the OSCE Minsk Group’s “Common state” peace proposal?
The proposal expressly referred to the agreements on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the status of the Lachin corridor, Shusha, and the former Shaumyan district of Azerbaijan, and a cessation of the armed conflict between the parties.

65

 What were the outcomes of the series of meetings between Heydar Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan in 1999?
It was expected that as a result of the confidential meeting between the leaders of the two countries, an agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh would be reached at the OSCE Istanbul Summit in November 1999.

66

 What were the outcomes of the Key West meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in April 2001?
The importance of the meeting was that, unlike previous meetings, Key West was the first time that the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group discussed the issue with both presidents in the same place.

67

 What was the role of Heydar Aliyev in the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
During his presidency, Heydar Aliyev managed to get the international community to understand Azerbaijan’s position. He promoted factual arguments about the war, achieved a ceasefire agreement that stopped the violence, helped convince international organizations to include the issue in their agendas.

68

 What role did the Prague Process play in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
The Prague Process was a series of negotiations between the personal representatives of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 2002 after the Key West meeting between the Presidents in the USA failed.

69

 What was PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) Resolution 1416 of January 25, 2005?
By adopting the Resolution, PACE also reaffirmed that independence and secession of a territory from the main state might be achieved only by lawful and peaceful means and without the help of military force.

70

 What role did the Madrid Principles play in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
The Madrid Principles is a framework agreement that was presented by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the OSCE ministerial conference that was held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, in November 2007.

71

 What was the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/243 of March 14, 2008?
It should be noted that Resolution 62/243 was the fifth United Nations document relating to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the first adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

72

 What was the Moscow Declaration of November 2, 2008?
In this Declaration, the Presidents stated their intention to create an atmosphere of security and stability in the region. They agreed to intensify their efforts to find a political solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principles and norms of International Law and decisions and documents accepted in this context.

73

 What were the implications of the Moscow Declaration for the parties to the conflict?
The Declaration served Russian interests rather than the parties to the conflict. It should be noted that it was the first document signed by the presidents of the Azerbaijan Republic and the Republic of Armenia since the ceasefire agreement in May 1994.

74

 What role did the Updated Madrid Principles play in the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
The Updated Madrid Principles refer to one of the peace initiatives presented by the OSCE Minsk Group to the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, based on the Basic Principles introduced to the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in November 2007.

75

 What was the European Parliament Resolution of May 20, 2010?
The resolution highlighted that the conflicts that existed at the time in the South Caucasus were the principal obstacle to economic and social development in the region since they hindered the full realization of the Eastern Partnership there.

76

 What was the significance of the April War of 2016 in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
The April War, also known as Four-day War, is a short-lived war that broke out on April 2 and lasted till April 5, 2016, along the line of contact between the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Armenian Republic in Karabakh.

77

 What factors led to the outbreak of the 44-day War of 2020?
On September 27, 2020, the armed forces of Armenia, blatantly violating the ceasefire regime had launched another aggression against Azerbaijan by intensively attacking the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan along the frontline, as well as by deliberately subjecting to artillery shelling residential areas of Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Jabrayil districts.

78

 What is Ilham Aliyev’s position regarding the Karabakh issue?
As President of Azerbaijan, he welcomed all constructive initiatives by third parties, joint negotiations that were organized within the frame of the OSCE Minsk Group, and other unilateral attempts by external actors.

79

 Was Nagorno-Karabakh an interstate or an intrastate conflict?
Ethnic Armenian issues in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict do not change the interstate character of the dispute because the state attempting to annex the lands of another country uses its ethnic group to justify its aggression policy.

80

 Was Nagorno-Karabakh an ethnic or a territorial conflict?
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh should be defined as an interstate dispute occurred because of a territorial dispute.

81

 Was Nagorno-Karabakh a frozen or an intractable conflict?
In “frozen” conflicts, attempts by third parties are expected to guarantee a ceasefire, suspend violence and continue negotiations toward a political settlement. However, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was active, the ceasefire was periodically broken, and the negotiation process was deadlocked.

82

 What were the territorial borders of the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
One of the reasons it took so long to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was uncertainty over the disputed territories, resulting from the fact that the parties to the conflict identified the nature of the dispute differently.

83

 What was the de facto status of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic prior to the Second Karabakh War?
The de facto status of the so-called former Nagorno-Karabakh Republic could be defined as that of an unrecognized quasi-state since it did not meet the required criteria for sovereign states, according to the accepted norms of international law.

84

 Who were the parties to the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
Identifying the parties to the conflict is an initial and significant step that must not be ignored because misleading information about the identities of the parties or stakeholders will result in deadlock and prolong the process of achieving peace.

85

 How does Azerbaijan articulate its position regarding the Karabakh issue?
As a “principal” party to the conflict, Azerbaijan had adhered to the peace format structured by the OSCE Minsk Group and had adopted a constructive position for settling the conflict.

86

 What was the significance of the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh?
As an institution, the Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh (ACNK) was officially recognized by Article 9 in the document, which was adopted during the Helsinki Additional Meeting of the CSCE Council on March 24, 1992.

87

 What was the highest degree of autonomy offered by Azerbaijan for Nagorno-Karabakh before the Second Karabakh War?
Azerbaijan stated on various occasions that if Armenia abandoned its independence claim for Nagorno-Karabakh, it might have granted the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh the highest possible autonomy status that existed in practice.

88

 How does Armenia articulate its position regarding the Karabakh issue?
Since the very early stages of the conflict, Armenia had played a crucial role in how the war had developed and has forced all Azerbaijanis living in Armenia to leave their homes.

89

 What were the reasons behind Armenia’s non-recognition of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic?
Armenia did not recognize, in fact, the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic de jure, but the de facto relationships of Armenia with the unrecognized republic were at a high level.

90

 What was the position of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the solution to the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
The so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s authority argued that if any achievements were to be made in the peace process, the principles relating to territorial integrity must not be a precondition for settling the conflict.

91

 What role did the Armenian Diaspora play in the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
The economic and political role of diaspora organizations, especially the US-based AAA, in Armenian society allows them to be directly involved in the decision-making process for peacebuilding, which has a strict attitude to settling the conflict based on no compromise in the possible “independence”.

92

 Did Nagorno-Karabakh have a legitimate right to self-determination under international law?
Since international law protects the territorial integrity of states recognized by the international community, the self-determination claims of ethnic groups must be met within the borders of those states.

93

 What is the position of Russia regarding the Karabakh issue?
There is a perceived view that Russia was harming the negotiation process due to its geostrategic interests in the region.

94

 What is the position of the U.S. regarding the Karabakh issue?
In October 1992, with the efforts of the Armenian lobby, the US Congress passed Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which restricted direct governmental support of the US for Azerbaijan.

95

 What is the position of Turkey regarding the Karabakh issue?
In the international arena, top Turkish officials often expressed and promoted the Azerbaijani view of the conflict and called upon the international community to contribute to settling the dispute.

96

 What is the position of Iran regarding the Karabakh issue?
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict became one of the main challenges for Iran’s foreign and domestic policy right from the start since it represented a threat to the country’s national security.

97

 What is the position of the EU regarding the Karabakh issue?
In general, before the Second Karabakh War, the EU expressed its intention to support a peaceful settlement of the conflict and contribute to the peace-building process by utilizing its instruments as the South Caucasus grows closer to the EU neighborhood due to its eastward expansion.

98

 Were there any similarities among the South Ossetian, Abkhazian, and former Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts?
In all three cases, the war ended initially with a conditional victory by the separatists, who were supported by external groups such as Russia and Armenia, and with the signing not of a peace treaty but rather of a ceasefire agreement.

99

 Could the Kosovo case be a precedent for the former separatist movement in Karabakh?
The international community accepted that Kosovo was a sui generis case; hence it should be neither a legal nor a political precedent for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.