The separatist government of Karabakh announced today the dissolution of the self-styled Republic of Artsakh – not internationally recognised by any sovereign country – following the recent operation launched by Azerbaijan against the territory still controlled by pro-Armenian forces in this disputed region, which since 1991 and for three decades existed as an unrecognised state dependent on Armenia until the so-called Second Karabakh War, which in 2020 ended with a resounding victory of Azerbaijan that completely redrew the map of the South Caucasus.
A spokesman for the Karabakh separatist government announced that the region’s leader, Samvel Shakhramanyan, had issued a decree ordering the dissolution of all institutions of the Republic of Artsakh, which will cease to exist as of 1 January 2024. The decree states that Armenian residents of the region should “familiarise themselves with the conditions of reintegration” offered by Azerbaijan and “make a personal decision” on whether to stay or return to Armenia.
Karabakh’s Armenian leader said that the agreement reached with Baku to integrate into Azerbaijan guarantees “free, voluntary and unhindered passage” for those who want to leave. Azeri President Ilham Aliyev assured yesterday that the rights of the Armenian minority in Karabakh – a territory with an Armenian majority but internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan – will be protected and respected “within the framework of the country’s laws and international obligations”. It is estimated that some 28,000 Armenians out of the 140,000 registered in Karabakh have left so far the region.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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