Oval Useful news from Azerbaijan and Caucasus

Having much in common with the two first Armenian-Azeri conflicts of the beginning of the century, the current one is also distinguished by certain differences. First of all, terrorism, as a new phenomenon unknown to other interethnic conflicts in the former USSR, should be mentioned. As previously stated, before the …

Thus for the second time in the twentieth century, a situation arose when the collapse of an empire and its internal muddles distracted the attention of Moscow from the South Caucasus. Again, as in 1918 through 1920, the battles between Armenian and Azeri armed forces began in Karabakh. And again, …

In March 1985, Gorbachev, who realized that the socialist system was experiencing the strongest crisis and that serious reforms were necessary to keep the authority of the CPSS, came to the power. That is why he declared a “revolutionary perestroika” in all spheres, “a new way of thinking”, “glasnost (publicity) …

The leadership of the USSR and its punitive body, the KGB, although well informed of the events occurring in Armenia, did not pay the proper attention to those events. That was explained in a very matter-of- fact way: as the “cold war” was taking place, any means were good in …

Based on the support of Anastas Mikoyan, who became the chair of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the USSR.( i.e. the president of the country ), and taking into account the successful transfer of the Crimea to the Ukraine in 1954, on 19 May 1963, 2,500 Armenians of …

The decision of the Caucasian Bureau caused ambiguous reaction in Azerbaijan. On 19 July 1921, having approved the decision of the Caucasian Bureau to leave Nagorny Karabakh in the territory of Azerbaijan, the leaders of the local communist party were careful on the issue of granting autonomy, fearing that that …

The establishment of Soviet power in the South Caucasus did not immediately take the Karabakh issue from the agenda. Although, at that time no combat operations were undertaken, as the Soviet army controlled the situation in both republics. However the situation was very complicated and Soviet power was completely established …