Artur Javadyan

History of Artsakh

Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is an historically Armenian region located in the Caucasus.

Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is an historically Armenian region located in the Caucasus. It has been ruled by various conquerors throughout the centuries but has remained primarily Armenian and had semi-independent status. In the mid-18th century, Turkic nomadic tribes began to invade the region, leading to conflicts with the local Armenians. In the late 18th century, Artsakh was annexed to Russia after the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813. In 1917, during the formation of the ethnic republics of Transcaucasia, Artsakh's primarily Armenian population declared independence and formed a National Council and Government. However, this was met with military action by Azerbaijan and Turkey, leading to massacres of the Armenian population. In 1920, Soviet Russia temporarily deployed troops in Artsakh and recognized it as a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1921, Nagorno-Karabakh was officially declared an integral part of the Armenian SSR by the National Council of Azerbaijan SSR. The region remained under Soviet rule until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, when the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan reignited.