The Law on Abolishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (Resolution No. 279-XII) was a motion passed by the
Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan and signed into law by the
President of Azerbaijan
The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", ...
Ayaz Mutalibov
Ayaz Niyazi oghlu Mutallibov, russian: Аяз Ниязович Муталибов, Ayaz Niyazovich Mutalibov (12 May 1938 – 27 March 2022) was an Azerbaijani politician who served as the first president of Azerbaijan. He was the last leader ...
on November 26, 1991. The law had been prompted by a vote in the National Assembly of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...
in favor of uniting itself with the
Armenian SSR on 20 February 1988. The vote was followed by
an independence referendum in 1991 which was boycotted by the Azerbaijani population of the Oblast; most voted in favor of
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
. While these votes and elections had mainly been conducted in a relatively peaceful manner, in the following months, as the
Soviet Union disintegrated, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between
ethnic Armenians and
ethnic Azerbaijanis. Both sides claimed that
ethnic cleansing was being carried out.
The declaration of secession from Azerbaijan was the final result of
a territorial conflict regarding the land.
History
The
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...
(NKAO) was created as an
autonomous oblast by carving out the mountainous districts of Azerbaijan which constituted historic
Karabakh
Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and ...
within
Azerbaijan SSR from July 7, 1923. NKAO included territories of former
Javanshir
Javanshir (alternate spellings: Javansher, Juansher, Ĵovenšēr, Jivanshir; '' pal, Juvānšēr''; literally "young lion"), was the prince of Caucasian Albania from 637 to 680, hailing from the region of Gardman. His life and deeds were the subje ...
,
Shusha
/ hy, Շուշի
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg
, image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govha ...
,
Jabrayil
Jabrayil ( az, Cəbrayıl, ) is a ghost city in Azerbaijan, nominally the administrative capital of Azerbaijan's Jabrayil District.
A town with Azerbaijani majority and Armenian plurality at various times during the Russian imperial era, and Az ...
uyezds and a part of
Qubadli
Qubadli ( az, Qubadlı, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Qubadli District. It is situated along the Vorotan (Bargushad) river.
History
Qubadli was part of the Zangezur uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate during ...
which was part of
Zangezur Uyezd. The Russian term ''Nagorno'' (Mountainous) was affixed to the Turco-Persian name ''Karabagh'' (Black Garden) and the name of the oblast was officially changed to Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1937. In 1988, Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh demanded transfer of NKAO to
Armenian SSR. Following the escalation of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbaij ...
, Azerbaijan abolished Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast on November 26, 1991 rearranging the administrative division and theoretically bringing the territory under direct control of Azerbaijan.
Provisions
The Resolution No. 279-XII discussed in the Azerbaijani Parliament stated that whereas the existence Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast created in 1923 brought tensions between Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, ran counter to national interests of Azerbaijan, created base and conditions for
Armenian nationalists
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
to destroy all ethnic, historical, political, economic and moral values and riches of Azerbaijan, the parliament thus considered creation of the oblast to be illegitimate. The text questioned why an enclave with an Armenian majority was created on Azerbaijani territory while no cultural autonomy was given to half a million
Azerbaijanis in Armenia
Azerbaijanis in Armenia ( az, Ermənistan azərbaycanlıları or Qərbi azərbaycanlılar, lit=Western Azerbaijanis) numbered 29 people according to the 2001 census of Armenia. Although they have previously been the biggest minority in the countr ...
. The text claimed that were being deported en masse. The resolution condemned acts of Armenian militants in Karabakh and the policies of the Armenian Republic conducted in violation of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Parliament called for the protection of the sovereignty of Azerbaijan and for full integration of the mountainous part with the rest of Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
In compliance with Article 68, Section 3, Item 2 of Clause 104 of
Constitution of Azerbaijan Republic and Article 4 of Constitution Act about State Sovereignty of Azerbaijan Republic, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Republic was abolished. The ''Decree on Establishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Oblast'' of Azerbaijan Central Executive Committee date July 7, 1923 and the ''Law on Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast'' of Azerbaijan SSR dated June 16, 1981 were considered stale.
The cities of Stepanakert, Mardakert, Martuni were renamed to their respective
Azeri names.
Stepanakert was named back to
Khankendi, Mardakert to
Aghdara,
Mardakert District to
Aghdara District, Martuni to
Khojavend,
Martuni District to
Khojavend District
Khojavend District ( az, Xocavənd rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Lachin, Shusha, Khojaly, Agdam, Agh ...
.
Askeran District and
Hadrut District were abolished.
Khojali District was established with the administrative center in
Khojaly and the abolished Askeran District was incorporated into it. The abolished Hadrut District was incorporated into Khojavend District.
See also
*
References
{{Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
1991 in Azerbaijan
1991 documents
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Law of Azerbaijan
November 1991 events in Asia
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast