A NEW ERA IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS AFTER THE SECOND KARABAKH WAR

Abstract

The South Caucasus region includes three countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia. In this historically conflict-ridden region, the interests of many countries have been clashing since the beginning of the 20th century. Two countries in the region – Azerbaijan and Armenia – have been suffering from a conflict situation for more than 30 years. The conflict, which began with Armenia’s overt territorial claims to Azerbaijan’s historical lands, provocations on ethnic grounds and acts of terror in the late 1980s, resulted in military aggression against Azerbaijan. As a result of Armenian aggression, 20% of Azerbaijani lands were occupied, and more than a million refugees were displaced from their homeland. The first United Nations resolution No. 822 on the occupation of Azerbaijani lands was adopted on April 30, 1993. Later, resolutions No. 853, 874, and 884 were adopted, respectively. (Armenia-Azerbaijan confilict, 2025) Unfortunately, over the years, Armenia ignored UN resolutions and mechanisms established to resolve the conflict. Thus, for 30 years, the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remained unresolved and remained a frozen conflict until the Second Karabakh War.