Law on Abolishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
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 Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora o ...
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 (Caspia ...
within
Azerbaijan SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
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 Govhar ...
,
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 Zangezur uezd was a county (''uezd'') of the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire with its administrative center in Gerusy (present-day Goris) from 1868 until its formal abolition and partition between the Soviet republics of Armeni ...
. 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 The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...
. 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 Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...
names.
Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
was named back to
Khankendi / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
, Mardakert to
Aghdara Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, i ...
, Mardakert District to Aghdara District, Martuni to Khojavend,
Martuni District Martuni District ( az, Martuni rayonu; hy, Մարտունու շրջան) was an administrative unit within the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. History The administrative centre o ...
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 Khojaly District ( az, Xocalı 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 Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and Kh ...
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

*
List of United Nations Security Council resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Four UN Security Council Resolutions have been passed during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. These resolutions have not invoked Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. See also * 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war * Anti-Armenian sentiment * Anti-A ...


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