Next year, Nagorno-Karabakh will no longer exist

Beginning the next year, Nagorno-Karabakh will no longer be a self-declared republic. In response to the territory’s loss by Azerbaijan, the president of the region just issued an order dismantling governmental institutions, according to CNN.

According to CNN, the Azerbaijani triumph last week led to a significant departure of ethnic Armenians residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and signaled the conclusion of a protracted struggle that may have lasted for millennia.

As a consequence of the loss, President Samvel Shahramanyan issued a proclamation mandating the dissolution of all institutions and organizations belonging to the internationally unrecognized Republic of Artsakh beginning on January 1, 2024. The edict said, “The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) ceases to exist.”

Although Nagorno-Karabakh is inside the boundaries of Azerbaijan, it has long maintained its independence and had a de facto government of its own. Following a 24-hour battle last week, Azerbaijan regained control of the rebellious province.

Armenians in Karabakh have always had a simple decision before them: stay and accept citizenship in Azerbaijan, or leave. According to CNN, the bulk of the people has already chosen to leave, and tens of thousands have left their ancestral homes in opposition to accepting Baku’s administration.

On September 19, Azerbaijan began its onslaught, launching missiles and drones into Stepanakert, the provincial capital. This marked the beginning of the third battle for regional dominance in as many decades.

Nagorno-Karabakh was made into an independent entity inside the Soviet Union, of which both Azerbaijan and Armenia were formerly members.

According to CNN, the First Karabakh War started when Karabakh’s government approved a resolution in 1988 expressing its desire to join the Republic of Armenia. This sparked conflict as the Soviet Union started to fall apart. The conflict, which lasted more than six years and came to a close in 1994 when the Armenian side took control of the area, claimed almost 30,000 lives.

2020 saw the start of the Second Karabakh War following years of intermittent fighting. In only 44 days, Azerbaijan, supported by its longtime ally Turkey, took back a third of Karabakh’s land before both sides agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Russia.