The population of Nagorno-Karabakh for a year. Union of Armenians of Russia - Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Excursion into history

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19th century

According to the censuses of the first half of the 19th century, about a third of the population of the entire territory of Karabakh (together with its flat part) were Armenians, and about two-thirds were Azerbaijanis. George Burnutyan points out that the censuses show that the Armenian population was mainly concentrated in 8 out of 21 mahals (districts) of Karabakh, of which 5 make up the modern territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and 3 are included in the modern territory of Zangezur. Thus, 35 percent of the population of Karabakh (Armenians) lived on 38 percent of the land (in Nagorno-Karabakh), making up an absolute majority (about 90%) there. According to Ph.D. Anatoly Yamskov, one should take into account the fact that population censuses were conducted in winter period when the nomadic Azerbaijani population was on the plains, and in summer months it rose to the highland pastures, changing the demographic situation in the mountainous regions. However, Yamskov notes that the point of view on the rights of nomadic peoples to be considered a full-fledged population of the nomadic territory they use seasonally is currently not shared by most authors, both from the post-Soviet countries and from the countries of the "far abroad", including both pro-Armenian and pro-Azerbaijani works; in the Russian Transcaucasus of the 19th century, this territory could only be the property of the settled population.

The population of Nagorno-Karabakh at the beginning of the 20th century

According to the 1923 census, Armenians made up 94% of the newly formed NKAR; of the remaining 6%, the vast majority were Azerbaijanis. Among other minorities, Kurds stood out, who have long inhabited these lands and Russians, settlers or descendants of settlers of the 19th-20th centuries; there was also a certain number of Greeks, also colonists of the 19th century.

In 1918, the Karabakh Armenians claimed:

According to recent statistics, the Armenian population of Elizavetpol, Jevanshir, Shusha, Karyaga and Zangezur districts, distributed almost exclusively in the mountainous parts of these districts, is 300,000 souls and is an absolute majority in comparison with the Tatars and other ethnic groups, which are only in in some localities they make up a more or less significant part of the population, while the Armenians everywhere represent a solid mass. Consequently, the Muslim part of the population can only be in the position of a minority, and because of this minority of 3-4 tens of thousands, the vital interests of the people cannot be sacrificed.

In 1918-1920 this area was disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan; after the Sovietization of Armenia and Azerbaijan, by the decision of the Caucasus Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) of July 4, 1921, it was decided to transfer Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, but the final decision was left to the Central Committee of the RCP (b), however, by a new decision of July 5, it was left as part of Azerbaijan with granting wide regional autonomy. In 1923, from the Armenian-populated part of Nagorno-Karabakh (excluding the Shahumyan and part of the Khanlar regions), as part of Azerbaijan SSR The Autonomous Region of Nagorno-Karabakh (AONK) was formed. In 1937, the AONK was transformed into the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO). Initially, the NKAO bordered on the Armenian SSR, but by the end of the 1930s, the common border disappeared.

Ethno-linguistic dynamics

During the years of Soviet power, the percentage of the Azerbaijani population of the NKAO increased to 21.5%, while the percentage of the Armenian population decreased to 76.9%. Armenian authors explain this by the purposeful policy of the authorities of the Azerbaijan SSR to change the demographic situation in the region in favor of the Azerbaijanis. Similar ethnic shifts towards the titular nationality were also observed in the autonomous republics of the Georgian SSR: Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Adzharia. Heydar Aliyev, the third president of Azerbaijan (1993-2003), who in 1969-1982 served as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR, on July 22, 2002, receiving the founders of the Baku Press Club at the Presidential Palace on the occasion of the National Press Day, commenting on this topic, said :

“...I'm talking about the period when I was the first secretary, I helped a lot at that time the development of Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, he tried to change the demographics there. Nagorno-Karabakh raised the issue of opening a university there. We all objected. I thought and decided to open. But with the condition that there are three sectors - Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian. Opened. We sent Azerbaijanis from the adjacent regions not to Baku, but there. They opened a big shoe factory there. There was no labor force in Stepanakert itself. Azerbaijanis were sent there from the places surrounding the region. By these and other measures, I tried to increase the number of Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and reduce the number of Armenians.”

The share of the Russian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, as follows from the table, increased rapidly in the pre-war years and, having reached a maximum in 1939, began to decline just as rapidly, which correlates with the processes that took place in all of Azerbaijan and in general in the whole of Transcaucasia.

Of the five districts of the NKAO, Azerbaijanis were the majority in the smallest Shusha district, where in 1989, according to the last Soviet census, 23,156 people lived, of which 21,234 (91.7%) were Azerbaijanis and 1,620 (7%) Armenians. In the city of Shusha itself, 17,000 people lived, of which 98% were Azerbaijanis. However, the 1939 census gives other data: the population of the Shusha region is 10818, of which 6306 Azerbaijanis (58.3%) and Armenians 4177 (38.6%). Moreover, most of the Azerbaijanis lived in Shusha, the population of which was 5424 people, in the rural part of the region the Armenians were the majority. The population of the city of Shusha, in 1883, was 25656 people, of which 56.5% were Armenians and 43.2% were Azerbaijanis, but the vast majority of Armenians were killed or left the city as a result of the Shusha massacre at the end of March 1920. In 1939, the largest share of Russians was in Stepanakert (5.4%).

In the remaining 4 regions and the city of Stepanakert, Azerbaijanis were a minority, however, they also had settlements with a predominantly Azerbaijani population. The Azerbaijani settlements in these 4 regions were the villages of Umudlu, Khojaly and others.

Capital: Stepanakert
Big cities: Martakert, Hadrut
Official language: Armenian
Currency unit: dram
Population: 152 000
Ethnic composition: Armenians, Russians, Greeks
Natural resources: gold, silver, lead, zinc, perlite, limestone
Territory: 11 thousand sq. km.
Average height above sea level: 1,900 meters
Neighboring countries: Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan

ARTICLE 142 of the NKR Constitution:
“Until the integrity of the state territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is restored and the boundaries are clarified, public authority is exercised on the territory that is actually under the jurisdiction of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR):
history and modernity

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)- a state formed in the process of the collapse of the USSR on the basis of the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region(NKAR) - a national-state formation in the state structure of the USSR, and the Armenian-populated Shahumyan region. The capital is the city of Stepanakert.

NKR was proclaimed September 2, 1991 in accordance with the fundamental norms of international law.

Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian self-name - Artsakh), located in the north-east of the Armenian Highlands, from ancient times was one of the provinces of historical Armenia, the north-eastern border of which, according to all ancient sources, was Kura. The natural and climatic conditions of the mountainous region are due to a favorable geographical position. In the ancient Armenian state of Urartu (VIII-V BC), Artsakh is mentioned under the name Urtekhe-Urtekhini. In the writings of Strabo, Pliny the Elder, Claudius Ptolemy, Plutarch, Dio Cassius and other authors, it was indicated that the Kura was the border of Armenia with neighboring Albania (Aluank) - an ancient state that was a conglomerate of multilingual Caucasian mountain tribes.

After the division of Armenia between Byzantium and Persia (387), the territory of Eastern Transcaucasia (including Artsakh) passed to Persia, which, however, did not affect the ethnic boundaries in the region until the late Middle Ages: the right bank of the Kura, together with Artsakh (Karabakh), remains populated by Armenians. And only in the middle of the 18th century, the penetration of Turkic nomadic tribes into the northern regions of Karabakh began, which marked the beginning of many years of wars with the Armenian principalities. The melikdoms (principalities) of Nagorno-Karabakh, ruled by hereditary appanage princes - meliks, managed to maintain actual sovereignty, including their own squads, princely squads, etc. Being forced for centuries to repulse the invasions of the troops of the Ottoman Empire, the raids of nomadic tribes and detachments of numerous and often hostile neighboring khans, and even the troops of the shahs themselves, the melikdoms of Artsakh sought to free themselves from the infidel power. To this end, in the 17th-18th centuries, the Karabakh meliks corresponded with Russian tsars, including the emperors Peter I, Catherine II and Paul I.

In 1805, the territory of historical Artsakh, which formally received the name of the Karabakh Khanate, together with the vast regions of Eastern Transcaucasia, “forever and ever” passed to Russian Empire, which was fixed by the Gulistan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) treaties between Russia and Persia.

A period of peaceful life began, which generally lasted until 1917. After the collapse of the Russian Empire, in the process of formation of states in the Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918-1920. turned into an arena of a brutal war between the Republic of Armenia, which restored its independence, and the newly created Azerbaijan Democratic Republic under the conditions of Turkish intervention, which, from the moment of its formation, presented territorial claims to the significant Armenian territories of Transcaucasia.

Regular Turkish troops and Azerbaijani armed forces, taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the World War and the collapse of the Russian Empire, continued the Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915, in 1918-1920. destroyed hundreds of Armenian villages, massacred Armenians in Baku, Ganja. And only in Nagorno-Karabakh did these formations encounter serious armed resistance organized by the National Council of NK, although Shusha, the capital of the region, was burned and plundered on March 23, 1920, and the Armenian population of the city was destroyed.

It was then that the international community found it necessary to intervene in an increasingly tragic conflict. On December 1, 1920, on the basis of the report of its third subcommittee, the Fifth Committee of the League of Nations, reacting to the territorial claims of Azerbaijan and mass anti-Armenian pogroms, unanimously spoke out against the admission of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic to the League of Nations. At the same time, the League of Nations, before the final settlement of the conflict, recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as a disputed territory, with which all the parties involved in the conflict, including Azerbaijan, agreed. Thus, during the period of occurrence in 1918-20. Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, its sovereignty did not extend to Nagorno-Karabakh (as well as to Nakhichevan).

The establishment of Soviet power in Transcaucasia was accompanied by the establishment of new political orders. After the proclamation in 1920. Soviet Azerbaijan Russian troops, until the peaceful resolution of the issue, in accordance with the Treaty between Soviet Russia and the Republic of Armenia, temporarily occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

However, immediately after the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia, the Revolutionary Committee (revolutionary committee - main body Bolshevik authorities at that time) of Azerbaijan declares the recognition of the "disputed territories" - Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan - as integral parts of Armenia. By the time of declaring the renunciation of claims to Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan, these territories were not part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

On the basis of the refusal of Soviet Azerbaijan from claims to "disputed territories" and on the basis of an agreement between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenia in June 1921. declared Nagorno-Karabakh its integral part. The text of the Decree of the Government of Armenia was published in the press both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan (“Baku worker” (an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan), June 22, 1921). Thus, an act of cession took place, which turned out to be the last legal act on Nagorno-Karabakh in the international legal sense during the communist regime in Transcaucasia.

The act of cession was welcomed by both the international community and Russia, which was recorded in the resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations (18.XII.1920), in the Note of the Secretary General of the League of Nations to the member states of the League of Nations (4.III.1921) and in Annual report of the People's Commissariat (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR for 1920-1921. supreme body of power - the XI Congress of Soviets.

Soon, however, the Bolshevik leadership of Russia, in the context of the policy of promoting the “world communist revolution”, in which Turkey was assigned the role of the “torch of the revolution in the East”, changes its attitude towards ethnically related Azerbaijan and the problem of “disputed” territories, including Nagorny Karabakh.

The leadership of Azerbaijan, on instructions from Moscow, resumes its claims to Nagorno-Karabakh. The Plenum of the Caucasian Bureau of the RCP(b), disregarding the decision of the League of Nations and rejecting the plebiscite as a democratic mechanism for establishing borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in 1921, under the direct pressure of Stalin and contrary to the act of cession, with procedural violations, decides to tear Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia with the condition formation in these Armenian territories of national autonomy with broad rights as part of the Azerbaijan SSR.

Azerbaijan in every possible way delayed the fulfillment of the demand for granting autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh. But after a two-year armed struggle of the Karabakh people and at the insistence of the RCP (b) in 1923. an insignificant part was granted the status of an autonomous region - one of the constitutional forms of a national-state formation in the state structure of the USSR. Moreover, Nagorno-Karabakh, apparently with a distant sight, was fragmented - autonomy was formed on one part, and the rest was dissolved in the administrative regions of Soviet Azerbaijan, and in such a way as to eliminate the physical and geographical connection between the Armenian autonomy and Armenia.

Thus, a significant part of the territory, recognized by the League of Nations as disputed, was directly annexed, and most of Nagorno-Karabakh remained outside the autonomy (Gulistan, Kalbajar, Karahat (Dashkesan), Lachin, Shamkhor, etc.). Thus, the Karabakh problem was not resolved, but frozen for almost 70 years, although the Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh repeatedly sent letters and petitions to the central authorities in Moscow, demanding to annul the unconstitutional and illegal decision of 1921 and consider the possibility of transferring Nagorno-Karabakh to the Armenia. Even during the years of Stalinist repressions, under the threat of the expulsion of the entire Armenian people from their historical homeland (following the example of other repressed nations), the struggle of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia for secession from the Azerbaijan SSR did not stop.

1988 became a turning point in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh. The people of Artsakh raised their voice in defense of their own rights and freedoms. Observing all existing legal norms and using exclusively democratic forms of expressing their will, the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh came forward with a demand for reunification with Armenia. These events became a turning point not only in the life of the people of Artsakh; they, in fact, predetermined the subsequent fate of the entire Armenian people. February 20, 1988 extraordinary session of the Council of People's Deputies of the NKAO adopted a decision that contained a request to the Supreme Soviets of Azerbaijan - to withdraw from its composition, Armenia - to accept it, the USSR - to satisfy this request and was based on legal norms and precedents for resolving such disputes in the USSR .

However, each act of democratic expression of will and desire to translate the dispute into a civilized course was followed by an escalation of violence, massive and widespread violation of the rights of the Armenian population, demographic expansion, economic blockade, etc. Pogroms and massacres of Armenians began in cities of Azerbaijan, hundreds of kilometers away from the NKAO - Sumgayit , Baku, Kirovabad, Shamkhor, then throughout Azerbaijan, as a result of which hundreds of people died and were injured. About 450 thousand Armenians from the cities and villages of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh became refugees.

On September 2, 1991, the joint session of the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Council and the Council of People's Deputies of the Shahumyan region proclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) within the boundaries of the former NKAR and the Shahumyan region. The Declaration of Independence of the NKR was adopted. Thus, the right reflected in the then current legislation, in particular, in the USSR Law of April 3, 1990, was exercised. “On the procedure for resolving issues related to the withdrawal of a union republic from the USSR,” which provides for the right of national autonomies to independently decide on their state-legal status in the event that a union republic secedes from the USSR. At the same time (November 1991), contrary to all legal norms, the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan adopted a law on the abolition of the NKAO, which was qualified by the Constitutional Court of the USSR as contrary to the Constitution of the USSR.

On December 10, 1991, just a few days before the official collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh in the presence of international observers, in which the vast majority of the population - 99.89% - voted for complete independence from Azerbaijan. In the parliamentary elections that followed on December 28, the NKR parliament was elected, which formed the first government. The government of the independent NKR began to fulfill its duties under the conditions of an absolute blockade and the subsequent military aggression by Azerbaijan.

Using the weapons and ammunition of the 4th army of the armed forces of the USSR concentrated on its territory, Azerbaijan unleashed a large-scale war against Nagorno-Karabakh. This war, as you know, lasted from autumn 1991 to May 1994 with varying success. There were periods when almost 60 percent of the territory of NK was under occupation, and the capital Stepanakert and other settlements were subjected to almost unceasing massive air raids and artillery shelling.

By May 1992, the NKR self-defense forces managed to liberate the city of Shushi, “break through” the corridor in the area of ​​the city of Lachin, which reunited the territories of the NKR and the Republic of Armenia, thereby partially eliminating the long-term blockade of the NKR.

In June-July 1992, as a result of the offensive, the Azerbaijani army occupied the entire Shahumyan, most of Mardakert, part of the Martuni, Askeran and Hadrut regions of the NKR.

In August 1992, the US Congress adopted a resolution condemning the actions of Azerbaijan and forbidding the US administration at the governmental level to provide economic assistance to this state.

In order to repel the aggression of Azerbaijan, the life of the NKR was completely transferred to a military footing; On August 14, 1992, the NKR State Defense Committee was established, and the disparate detachments of the self-defense forces were reformed and, on the basis of strict discipline and unity of command, organized into the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The NKR Defense Army managed to liberate most of the territories of the NKR previously occupied by Azerbaijan, occupying during the course of hostilities a number of Azerbaijani regions adjacent to the republic, turned into firing points. It was with the creation of this security zone that the possibility of a direct threat to the civilian population was prevented.

On May 5, 1994, with the mediation of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed the Bishkek Protocol, on the basis of which on May 12 the same parties reached an agreement on a ceasefire, which is in force to this day.

In 1992 to resolve the Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group was created, within which the negotiation process is being carried out with the aim of preparing the OSCE Minsk Conference, designed to achieve a final solution to the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Artsakh - Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), as independent state, has existed since September 2, 1991. The territory of the NKR mainly covers the Artsakh ashkhar Greater Armenia.

After the first division of Armenia (387) Artsakh passes to Persia. As part of Persia, Artsakh, together with Utik and Akhvank, is included in a single province under common name"Akhvank".

During the Arab rule, Artsakh was part of the governorship of Arminia, and later became part of the Armenian kingdom of Bagratuni.

After the fall of the Armenian statehood, when Armenia was subjected to raids by foreign conquerors, the Artsakh principalities retained their independence. As part of Persia, the Artsakh principalities enjoyed special privileges and had a semi-dependent status. They were united into melikdoms of Khamsa (5 melikdoms - Khachen, Jraberd, Dizak, Varanda, Gyulistan).

Starting from the 15th century, the eastern Turkic-speaking wild tribes that penetrated into the Transcaucasus, the territory of Artsakh called Karabakh.

Now Artsakh has established itself as the second Armenian state. Thus, current Armenia consists of the Republic of Armenia (RA) and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

Natural conditions and riches

Artsakh is divided into 7 administrative districts - Shahumyan, Kashatakh, Martakert, Askeran, Shusha, Martuni and Hadrut. Administrative centers are underlined on the map.

Artsakh has a complex mountainous relief. The differences in the absolute heights of the surface reach 3700m (Kur-Araks valley - 100m, Mount Gomshasar - 3724m). In the northern part of the NKR, from west to east, the Mrovasar Range stretches, the highest peak of which is Gomshasar.

Relatively major river Artsakh - Tartar (also known as Terter, Trtu), on which the Sarsang reservoir was built. The rivers Khachenaget, Ishkhanaget, Akari are also famous in Artsakh. Basically, all the valleys of the Artsakh rivers are covered dense forests. There are also many mineral springs.

Beautiful Artsakh...

Population

Ancient Greek and Roman sources testify that long before our era, the inhabitants of Artsakh, Utik and all other ashkhars of Greater Armenia were Armenians and spoke one single language - Armenian. The fact that Armenians lived in Artsakh for thousands of years is evidenced not only by Armenian, but also by Arab, Persian, Georgian and Turkish authors.

There is also a lot of other evidence that Artsakh was originally inhabited by Armenians. More than a thousand Armenian rock inscriptions, more than 1600 historical, architectural and religious monuments have been found on the territory - monasteries, churches, castles, ancient cemeteries, khachkars, but not a single non-Armenian monument built before the 18th-19th centuries.

In the 18-19th centuries, Turkic-speaking nomadic tribes penetrated Artsakh, which until 1926. all-Union ( former USSR) of the population count were officially called Caucasian Tatars. Later they were called Azerbaijanis.

Today, only Armenians live on the territory of the NKR.

Cities

The capital of the NKR is Stepanakert, built on the left bank of the Karkar River. Stepanakert is an old Armenian settlement, which used to be called Vararakn.

Per last years in Stepanakert was relatively fast growth population and the economic growth. About 1/3 of the NKR population lives in Stepanakert.

Stepanakert is not only an administrative-political, but also a cultural and industrial center of the NKR. Here are the administration of the President of the Republic, the National Assembly, the government, State University, many technical schools and schools, basic cultural and health institutions.

Of the industrial enterprises, a silk factory, a building materials factory, a carpet weaving factory, an electrical and wine and vodka factory are known. There are also shoe, furniture and other enterprises.

The second city of Artsakh is Shushi. The city is located 10 km south of Stepanakert, on a high plateau, on the Stepanakert-Goris highway.

In historical sources, the city of Shushi is known as an impregnable fortress, where the population of the region defended itself during the attacks of enemies. In the 19th century, Shushi became one of the largest trade, craft and cultural centers Transcaucasia, yielding in terms of population (more than 40 thousand) only to Tbilisi and Baku, despite the fact that the main elite of Tbilisi and Baku consisted of Armenians.

In the early Middle Ages, Shushi was called Shikakar, later - Karaglukh, Kar.

The city was rebuilt according to the master plan. 2-3 storey houses, schools, hotels, shops, churches were built. Particularly attractive are the Church of Surb Amenaprkich Ghazanchetsots, the building of the Khandamiryan Theater and others.

Story:

On September 2, 1991, at a joint session of the Nagorno-Karabakh regional and Shaumyan district Soviets of People's Deputies, a Declaration was adopted on the proclamation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic within the borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and the adjacent Shahumyan District of the Azerbaijan SSR.

On December 10, 1991, a referendum was held (while the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was not proclaimed through a referendum) on the status of the NKR, 99.89% of the participants in which voted for its independence. This percentage was achieved due to the fact that the referendum was boycotted by the Azerbaijani minority of the region. The referendum was not recognized by the international community. In addition to the territories of the NKAR and the Shaumyan region of the Azerbaijan SSR, the referendum was also held on a part of the territory of the Khanlar region, which later received the name Getashen sub-region in Karabakh and Armenian literature, which, as the NKR authorities point out, legally confirmed the entry of this territory into the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. On January 6, 1992, the NKR Parliament of the first convocation - the NKR Supreme Council - adopted the Declaration "On the State Independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". The declaration of independence was preceded by almost four years of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which led to a significant number of victims and refugees on both sides, caused by the use of mass violence and ethnic cleansing.

In 1991-1994, a military conflict broke out between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan, during which the Azerbaijanis ousted the Armenians from the territory of the former Shahumyan region of the Azerbaijan SSR and part of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, supported by Armenia, established control over several regions of Azerbaijan adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. Karabakh, and ousted the Azerbaijani population from there, which was qualified in 1993 by the UN Security Council as the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan by Armenian forces.

According to the administrative-territorial division of Azerbaijan, the territory currently controlled by the NKR occupies the southwestern part of the main territory of Azerbaijan (the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and some adjacent territories), adjoins the state borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the west and Azerbaijan and Iran to the south and borders Azerbaijan-controlled territory to the north and east.

By May 1992, the NKR self-defense forces managed to take Shusha, “break through” the corridor near the city of Lachin, which reunited the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia, thereby partially eliminating the blockade of the NKR.

In June-July 1992, as a result of the offensive, the Azerbaijani army took control of the entire Shaumyanovsky, most of the Mardakert and Askeran regions.

In 1992, in order to provide economic support to the former Soviet republics, the United States passed the Freedom Support Act. The US Senate adopted Amendment 907 to the act, which prohibited the provision of assistance to Azerbaijan by the US government until Azerbaijan ceases the blockade and military operations against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. According to some sources, the amendment was adopted under pressure from the Armenian lobby. According to Svante Cornell, the amendment ignores the fact that Armenia itself implemented an embargo against Nakhichevan, separated from the main part of Azerbaijan, and the closure of the border with Armenia, according to the authors of the book "Fragile Peace", was due to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands. Moreover, according to Svante Cornell, the use of the term "blockade" in itself is misleading - Armenia has close economic ties with Georgia and Iran, and in this case the term "embargo" is more appropriate.

In order to repel the actions of Azerbaijan, the life of the NKR was completely transferred to a military footing; August 14, 1992 was established State Committee defense of the NKR, and scattered detachments of the self-defense forces were reformed and organized into the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The NKR Defense Army managed to take control of most of the territories of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region previously controlled by Azerbaijan, occupying a number of regions of Azerbaijan adjacent to the republic during the hostilities. These actions were qualified by the UN Security Council as the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan by Armenian forces.

May 5, 1994, with the mediation of Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Interparliamentary Assembly The CIS in the capital of Kyrgyzstan Bishkek, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia signed the Bishkek Protocol, on the basis of which on May 12 the same parties reached an agreement on a ceasefire, which is in force to this day.

In 1992, to resolve the Karabakh conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group was established, within which the negotiation process is carried out with the aim of preparing the OSCE Minsk Conference, designed to achieve a final solution to the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under control armed forces Azerbaijan is located about a third of the Shahumyan region, as well as minor parts of the Martakert and Martuni regions of the NKR.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is a member of the informal association CIS-2.

Recognizing countries:

Flag:

Map:

Territory:

Demography:

According to the results of the 2005 census of the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the population in the republic was 137,737 people, of which 137,380 people were Armenians (99.74%), Russians - 171 people (0.1%), Greeks - 22 people ( 0.02%), Ukrainians - 21 people (0.02%), Georgians - 12 people (0.01%), Azerbaijanis - 6 people (0.005%), representatives of other nationalities - 125 people (0.1%). In 2006, 2102 children were born in the NKR - 4.9% more than in 2005. 15.3 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 14.6 in 2005. Natural population growth increased by 16.5% over the same period. In 2006, 241 families, or 872 people, 395 of which are children, moved to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from Armenia and other CIS countries for permanent residence. According to estimates for 2009, the population of the republic was 141,100 people

Religion:

The vast majority of the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is represented on the territory of the NKR by the Artsakh diocese.

In 2010, the foundation stone ceremony of a Russian Orthodox church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God was held in Stepanakert. Mostly Orthodox

Languages:

16:21 - REGNUM

According to official statistics, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh today is about 150 thousand people.

The first census of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh since the proclamation of an independent republic (1991) was carried out in 2005 and, according to the data of the National Statistical Service of the NKR, the population permanently residing in the republic at that time amounted to 137,737 people, of which 137,380 were Armenians. (99.74%), Russians - 171, Greeks - 22, Ukrainians - 21, Georgians - 12, Azerbaijanis - 6, representatives of other nationalities - 125. At that time, 49 thousand 986 people lived in the capital of the republic - Stepanakert .

Prior to that, during the years of Soviet power, censuses of the population of the region were carried out in 1926, 1939, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989. During the first census, the population of Nagorno-Karabakh was 125 thousand people, of which 112 thousand were Armenians, about 12 thousand were Azerbaijanis. In 1989, the population of NK was 189 thousand 29 people, of which 145 thousand 450 were Armenians, 40 thousand 632 were Azerbaijanis, and 2 thousand 417 were representatives of Slavic nationality.

Since the last census in Nagorno-Karabakh, conducted as part of the All-Union Census in 1989, the most serious transformations have taken place in the post-Soviet space, which could not but affect Karabakh. Decay Soviet Union, the proclamation of the republic and the brutal, almost four-year war unleashed by Azerbaijan (1991-1994), which took place as a result of all this, migration processes, the transition to market relations radically changed the socio-demographic and economic structure of the region. Approximately 40,000 of the 540,000 Armenians who fled from Azerbaijan in 1989-1992 found shelter in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, not everyone was able to settle here in the conditions of ongoing hostilities and economic devastation, they were forced to go to Armenia and Russia. Currently total number refugees in Nagorno-Karabakh reaches 30 thousand people.

The 2005 census covered all citizens registered in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Republic of Artsakh), including those who at that time were outside the republic, served in the army or were in prisons, as well as stateless persons and foreigners who were at the time of the census in the republic. During the census, a kind of social research, the socio-economic situation in the republic, resources in a particular area were studied. Based on these data, the government was able to predict the socio-economic development of the country, develop realistic and pragmatic programs. In particular, the analysis of the results of the census made it possible to improve the state regulation of socio-economic and demographic processes. The information received during the census made it possible to give greater targeting to government measures to support the least protected segments of the population - pensioners, the disabled, the families of the victims, large families, youth, etc.

According to the law "On the population census" in Nagorno-Karabakh, the census will be held once every 10 years, that is, the next one will be organized in 2015.

Today in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which includes 10 cities and 322 rural settlements with a population of over 145,000 people. The ratio of the urban and rural population is approximately 53% and 47%, respectively, men and women - approximately 49% and 51%. Thus, compared with 2005, the population of the republic increased by about 8 thousand people. The natural population growth in 2011 amounted to 1,289 people. Population growth was mainly due to an increase in the number of births: the number of births was twice the number of deaths. By the way, 74.1% of those who died in the first half of the year current year were over 70 years of age. Diseases associated with the circulatory system remain in the first place in terms of causes of death, and malignant tumors are in second place. The birth rate in the republic in the first half of 2012 was 1.9 times higher than the death rate, as a result, the natural increase was 596 people.

Improving the demographic situation in Artsakh declared a priority public policy and the most important component of ensuring national security. In this area, the state and community authorities of the NKR are guided by the concept of demographic policy, according to which, for many years, a government program to stimulate the birth rate and large families has been implemented: upon the birth of the first child, the family is given 100 thousand drams ($250), the second - 200 thousand drams ($500) , the third - 500 thousand drams ($1250), the fourth and each subsequent - 700 thousand drams ($1750). In addition, time deposits are opened in the state bank in the name of the third and each subsequent child in the family. A contribution of 500 thousand drams is opened for the third child, 700 thousand drams for the fourth and each subsequent child. For families with 6 or more children, housing is being built or purchased. As part of the state assistance program for young families, newlyweds are provided with a one-time allowance in the amount of 300,000 drams ($750).

It should be noted that on October 16, 2008, an unprecedented event took place in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic - a collective wedding of almost 700 newlywed couples. The initiative for holding a collective marriage belonged to the well-known Russian philanthropist and businessman, a native of Nagorno-Karabakh, Levon Hayrapetyan, who was the main sponsor of the wedding. Each pair of newlyweds was allocated $2,500 in the form of a "gold card". At the birth of the first child, parents are given $2,000, the second child - $3,000, the third - $5,000, the fourth - $10,000, the fifth - $20,000, the sixth - $50,000, the seventh - $100,000.

The well-known businessman and philanthropist, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ameriabank CJSC Ruben Vardanyan, who is the godfather of 250 newlywed couples, also helps young Karabakh families. According to NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan, this action is not a simple allocation of money, but politics, ideology and, in general, one of the achievements modern history Karabakh.

Curiously, over the past few years, boys have predominated among children born in Nagorno-Karabakh. In the first half of this year they amounted to 53.5%. The most common names among newborn boys are Tigran, David and Horus, and among newborn girls Nare, Mariam and Ani. In addition to traditional Armenian names, Armenian parents prefer to give their children such foreign names as Alex, Eric, Arthur, Alexander, Daniel, Milena, Maria, Helen, Angelina.

It should be noted that if post-war years In Nagorno-Karabakh, on average, 2,000 children were born per year, that is, 15 children per 1,000 inhabitants, but in the last 4 years this figure has reached 2,600 children. The National Statistical Service of the NKR gives the following comparative characteristics. If in 2003-2007 the average annual number of births in the NKR was 2081 people, in 2008-2011 it was 2630. At the same time, the average annual number of births in rural areas increased from 894 to 1188 people. If in 2003-2007 the number of births per 1,000 inhabitants was 15.1 ppm, in 2008-2011 it was 18.5 ppm. This figure is second only to the countries of Central Asia in the post-Soviet space. The number of third and subsequent children born in a family increased from 495 in 2003-2007 to 787 in 2008-2011. In 2011, the total birth rate in the republic, necessary for the reproduction of the population, amounted to 2.3 children (instead of the required 2.15 children), in rural areas - 2.5 children. If in 2003-2007 the average annual number of marriages was 714, in 2008-2011 this figure more than doubled.

In 2011, 1,109 people arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is 372 more than in 2010. By regions, the share of arrivals is as follows: populated Kashatagh region - 55.7%, the capital - Stepanakert - 10%, Shahumyan region - 8.8%. At the same time, 94% came from Armenia, 4.2% from Russia. At the same time, 663 people left the NKR in 2011. Mechanical population growth amounted to 446 people. 94.4% of the 663 who left the NKR left for Armenia.

In January-March 2012, according to the data of the National Statistical Service of the NKR, the natural population growth was 276 people. The ratio of the number of officially registered arrivals and departures from Nagorno-Karabakh in the first half of 2012 is also positive. Mechanical population growth amounted to 186 people, which exceeds the figure for the same period last year by 13.4%. It should be noted that in connection with the war in Syria, several families of Syrian Armenians moved to the Kashatagh region of the NKR for permanent residence.

NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan claims that the improvement in the demographic situation was achieved not only thanks to the government program to stimulate the birth rate and large families, but also to improve the living conditions of the population, create jobs, etc. At the same time, the still rather difficult social situation, low incomes or the lack of a permanent income for a significant part of the population hinder the higher rates of demographic development in the republic. Unemployment still remains an urgent problem for Nagorno-Karabakh. The National Statistical Service of the NKR conducted a selective study on the labor market in order to find out the real level of unemployment. According to the results of the study, a 22.3 percent unemployment rate was determined. It is especially high among citizens under the age of 24 - 31.1%, women - 29.1%, illiterate citizens (having incomplete primary education) - 51.7%, citizens living together without marriage - 57.1%, residents of rural settlements - 24.8%. 26.3% stopped working due to family circumstances, 16.3% - due to layoffs and dismissal from work.

41.9% of the surveyed unemployed lost their jobs more than 4 years ago. About 46% of the unemployed had work experience in the past. As noted in the National Statistical Service of the NKR, the average unemployed person in Nagorno-Karabakh can be characterized as follows: a 39-year-old woman, a resident of the village, married, having a secondary specialized or incomplete higher education.

According to representatives of the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, the natural and economic potential of the republic makes it possible to increase the population of the NKR to 300,000 people. There are many people wishing to move to Nagorno-Karabakh for permanent residence, in particular, from the CIS countries, especially from Central Asia. However, to provide them with minimum living conditions, large funds are required, which the NKR government does not have at present and therefore is forced to limit the flow of migrants. It is quite obvious that this issue cannot be resolved without the active support of the world Armenians.

Ashot Beglaryan, Stepanakert