Armenian-controlled territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenians have been in control of most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, with Azerbaijan controlling parts of the eastern Martuni and eastern Martakert. As of December 2020, the territory has been transferred from Armenian control to Azerbaijani control. This agreement was codified in a Russian-brokered peace treaty and will be enforced by Russian peacekeepers under an initial 5-year mandate.

About Armenian-controlled territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh in brief

Armenians have been in control of most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, with Azerbaijan controlling parts of the eastern Martuni and eastern Martakert. The population of all the adjacent Armenian-occupied districts were majority-Azerbaijani until their deportations from the districts during the First Karabakh War. As of December 2020, the territory has been transferred from Armenian control to Azerbaijani control. This agreement was codified in a Russian-brokered peace treaty and will be enforced by Russian peacekeepers under an initial 5-year mandate. The areas of Azerbaijan that remain under Armenian control are referred to as the security belt territories. The outer perimeter of these territories was a line of direct contact between the military forces of the Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. Since 1994, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held talks on the future of the security belts territories. Armenia has offered to act in accordance with the \”land for status\” formula. Azerbaijan has offered, in particular, another ‘land for peace’ option. The involved parties have failed to reach any agreement. Three cease-fires brokered by Russia, France and the United States failed to stop the fighting in September 2020.

The conflict continued until the end of the conflict in October 2020, getting constantly shelled until the cease-fire was reached. The U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 62243, demanding the withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in 2008. In the wake of the 2020 war, Armenian forces lost control of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan and Qubadli districts, and agreed to withdraw from Agdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts, returning them to Azerbaijan by 20 November, 25 November and 1 December 2020. Shahumian’s Armenian population was driven out during the war, and the Armenian and Azeri forces have been separated on the northern front by the Murovdag mountain chain ever since. Thousands of Azerbaijanis demonstrated for war against Armenia in response, with Turkey propagandising in support of Azerbaijan. They then claimed to have taken effective control of the Vardenis–Vardenis-Martakara highway connecting Armenia and Armenia. On 23 October, the clashes spilled to the Lubadlı, with the suspected goal of taking control of Qubadsar.