Stepanakert
Stepanakert officially Khankendi is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. It was the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in the region. The city is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of the Karabakh mountain range, on the left bank of the Qarqarçay (Karkar) river. The area that would become Stepanakert was originally an Armenian settlement named Vararakn. During the Soviet Union, Soviet period, the city was made the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, becoming a hub for economic and industrial activity. In addition, the city became a hotbed for political activity, serving as the center for Armenian demonstrations calling for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Stepanakert suffered extensive damage following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and passed into the hands of loc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Republic Of Artsakh
Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh controlled parts of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, including its capital Stepanakert. It had been an enclave within Azerbaijan from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war until the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, when the Azerbaijani military took control over the remaining territory controlled by Artsakh. Its only overland access route to Armenia after the 2020 war was via the Lachin corridor, which was placed under the supervision of Russian peacekeeping forces. The predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed by both the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia when both countries became independent in 1918 after the fall of the Rus ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan with support from Turkey. As the war progressed, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Republics of the Soviet Union, Soviet republics, entangled themselves in protracted, undeclared mountain warfare in the mountainous heights of Karabakh as Azerbaijan attempted to curb the secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The National Assembly (Nagorno-Karabakh), enclave's parliament had voted in favor of uniting with Armenia and a 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh independence referendum, referendum, boycotted by the Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh, was held, in which a 99.89% voted in favor of independence with an 82.2% turnout. The demand to unify with Armenia began in a relatively ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2023 Azerbaijani Offensive In Nagorno-Karabakh
Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, ceasefire agreement signed in the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. The offensive took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is ''de jure'' a part of Azerbaijan, and was a ''de facto'' independent republic. The stated goal of the offensive was the complete disarmament and unconditional surrender of Artsakh, as well as the withdrawal of all ethnic Armenian soldiers present in the region. The offensive occurred in the midst of an escalating crisis caused by Azerbaijani Armed Forces Blockade of the Republic of Artsakh (2022–present), blockading Artsakh, which has resulted in significant scarcities of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and other goods in the affec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Renaissance Square, Stepanakert
Renaissance Square (), commonly known as Veratsnound or Revival Square or Victory Square () was the main square in the city of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. It was developed in 1994 following the Battle of Shusha (1992), Battle of Shusha and the securing of the area by the Artsakh Defense Army. History Soviet era The Presidential Palace, which was the former residence of the President of Artsakh, is the main building in the square. It is the former building of the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, having been built in the 1960s. Artsakh era The following landmarks and buildings were located on the square when the city was under Armenian control: * Presidential Palace, Stepanakert, Presidential Palace * Artsakh Freedom Fighters Union Building * National Assembly (Artsakh), National Assembly of Artsakh Building * Embassy of Armenia * Palace of Youth * Hotel ''Armenia'' The square commonly hosted political and social rallie ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its terrain mostly consists of mountains and forestland. Most of Nagorno-Karabakh was governed by Armenian people, ethnic Armenians under the breakaway Republic of Artsakh — also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) — from the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1994 to the announcement of the dissolution of the republic in September 2023. Representatives from the two sides held numerous inconclusive peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group regarding the region's disputed status, with its majority-Armenian population over time variously advocating either for Artsakh's independence from both states or for its integration into Armenia. The region is usually equated with the administrative borders ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stepanakert Airport
Stepanakert Airport () or Khojaly Airport () is an airport in the town of Khojaly, 10 kilometers north-east of Stepanakert, Azerbaijan. The airport, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, had been under the control of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh from 1992 to 2023. Flights ceased with the escalation of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1990. In 2009, the Armenian authorities began the reconstruction of the facilities. Though it was scheduled to launch the first commercial flights on May 9, 2011, NKR officials postponed the new reopening date throughout 2011. In May 2012, the director of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Civil Aviation Administration, Tigran Gabrielyan, announced that the airport would begin operations in mid-2012. However, as the International Civil Aviation Organization effectively recognizes Azerbaijan’s authority over the airport, which has an Azerbaijan-assigned code, UBBS, Azerbaijan could veto any plans to start civilian flights. Azerbaijan took contro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Artsakh University
Artsakh State University () was a university in Stepanakert, the oldest and largest university in the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. Over the course of its 50-year history, Artsakh State University has produced over 20,000 graduates in 60 fields of study. After the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive and the flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, the university building was appropriated by the Azerbaijan Ministry of Education for a Karabakh University () (also spelled Garabagh University) on November 28, 2023, which started admitting students in 2024. Students from Artsakh State University have campaigned for the university to resume operations in exile in Armenia. History The university was established in 1969, in Stepanakert, the centre of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. At the time of its establishment, the university was called the Stepanakert Branch of Baku Pedagogical Institute named after Lenin and had only two Chairs: the Chair of Language and Literature and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stepanakert Memorial
The Memorial Complex of Stepanakert (; , ), also known as the Victory Monument, is a memorial located in Stepanakert or Khankendi, Azerbaijan. History The memorial complex, built in honor of the 22,000 inhabitants of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR who died during World War II, is centered around a obelisk in the center. Those who died were entombed in the common grave formed on the opposite hill. Another part of the complex is a cascade pool with a fountain and seven ‘weeping’ springs constructed in the style of traditional Armenian monuments and classic ornamental art. On the granite pedestals are portraits of Armenian-Soviet soldiers of the Red Army who were honored as Heroes of the Soviet Union. The newest part of the complex is a cemetery where the Armenian military casualties of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War are buried. From 1945 to 1990, the memorial was managed by the Nagorno-Karabakh Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Azerba ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Holy Mother Of God Cathedral, Stepanakert
Holy Mother of God Cathedral (), also known as Surb Astvatsamor Hovanu Cathedral, is a church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located in the city of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. A 4-meter statue of King Vachagan III was planned to be placed on a 2-meter pedestal near the church. The church – under construction for 12 years – was consecrated on 7 April 2019. History The cathedral became a bomb shelter during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, with civilians taking refuge in the basement of the cathedral from Azerbaijan's bombardment of Stepanakert. The last liturgy was served in the cathedral on 1 October 2023 after the majority of the Armenian population had fled the city and Azerbaijan had taken control. Gallery Stepanakert cathedral under construction March 2018-3.jpg, The cathedral under construction in 2018 See also * Armenia–Azerbaijan relations * Christianity in Azerbaijan Christianity in Azerbaijan is a minority religion. Christians, e ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Flight Of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians
On 19–20 September 2023, Azerbaijan initiated a military offensive in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region which ended with the surrender of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh and the disbandment of its armed forces. Up until the military assault, the region was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but governed and populated by ethnic Armenians. Before the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, the region had an estimated population of 150,000 which decreased in the aftermath of the war. Faced with threats of ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan and struggling amid a nine-month long blockade, 100,400 ethnic Armenians, representing 99% of the remaining population of Nagorno-Karabakh, fled by the end of September 2023, leaving only a couple of dozen people within the region as of November. This mass displacement of people has been described by international experts as a war crime or crime against humanity. 218 civilians died during an explosion at a fuel distributi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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We Are Our Mountains
We Are Our Mountains (; ) is a monument north of Stepanakert in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. The sculpture, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, with some considering it to be a symbol of Armenian identity as a whole. The monument is made from volcanic tuff and depicts an old man and woman hewn from rock, representing the mountain people of Karabakh. It is known colloquially as "Tatik-Papik" (տատիկ-պապիկ) in Armenian and "Dedo-Babo" (Դեդո-Բաբո) in the Karabakh dialect, which translates as "Grandmother and Grandfather". The sculpture is prominent in Artsakh's coat of arms. On 29 September 2023, Azerbaijani officials placed the flag of Azerbaijan on the monument, on the same day of the Azerbaijani takeover of Stepanakert, after the Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh undertaken ten days earlier and the subsequent flight of the Armenian population. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majority of the population were ethnic Armenians. History The area was disputed between First Republic of Armenia, Armenia and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Azerbaijan during their short-lived independence from 1918 and 1920. After the Sovietization of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kavbiuro organisation decided to keep the area within the Azerbaijan SSR whilst granting it broad regional autonomy. Initially, the principal city of Karabakh, Shusha, and its surrounding villages were to be excluded from the autonomy as they were predominantly Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani, particularly after the Shusha massacre, massacre and expulsion of the majority Armenians, Armenian population of Shusha—this decision was later reversed in 1923 when Shusha was dec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |