Talk:2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict/@comment-45523749-20200929191734

A primer to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh The region and conflict are relatively obscure, and so I have created this brief, and hopefully neutral, "primer" to the nations, their allies, and the conflict.

1. Armenia - A population of 2.9 million - A GDP of $13.4 billion - A defense budget of $634 million - Is considered a "Hybrid Regime" by the Economist's Democracy Index - Primarily Armenian Apostolic Christian - 51,580 active military personnel - 210,000 reserve personnel

Relations with Turkey: Armenia has a land border with Turkey, but no formal relations due to a number of factors, including the 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and the lack of recognition for the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Relations with Russia: Armenia has a "Military Union" with Russia. They share a "Joint Air Defense System" covering the Caucasus, and Armenia plays host to several Russian Military Bases, as well as a regiment of the Russian Border Guards.

It has been stated that if Azerbaijan attempts to restore jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh by force, the Russian forces based in Armenia may join in the conflict.

2. Azerbaijan - A population of 10.1 million - A GDP of $45.3 billion - A defense budget of $2.3 billion - Is considered an "Authoritarian Regime" by the Economist's Democracy Index - Primarily Shia Muslim - 66,950 active military personnel - 300,000 reserve personnel

Relations with Turkey: Azerbaijan has close linguistic and cultural ties with Turkey that have been built upon to develop a close economic and military partnership. This partnership includes a defense treaty that makes each other a guarantor in case of an attack by foreign forces. This treaty is due to expire in December 2020, unless renewed.

Azerbaijani Law allows for foreign military bases, but it is unknown if any exist.

Relations with Russia: Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with Russia, including moderate economic and cultural ties, as well as some military. However, due to Russia's ongoing support for Armenia and other conflicts of interest, these relations can be described as tense, particularly since 2015.

Nagorno-Karabakh - International recognized as part of Azerbaijan - Primarily controlled by the Republic of Artsakh, but has been said to be a de facto part of Armenia - 99% of the population is Armenian, with the majority of the rest being Russian

Recent History - Conflict over the region between Azerbaijan and Armenia started in 1920, after independence was gained from the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. This conflict was brought to a halt by Soviet Expansion, and in 1922 when the two were formally admitted into the Union the region and surrounding territories were announced by Stalin, as Commissar for Nationalities, to be under the control of Azerbaijan. The objections of ethnic Armenians living in the region lead to the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in 1923.

During the Soviet Period the dispute remained dormant, but re-emerged during the collapse of the USSR and the independence of the Caucasus States. The Armenians within the Autonomous Oblast declared independence with the intent of reunifying with Armenia, leading to the Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988 to 1994), which resulted in a ceasefire and nominal independence for Artsakh.

The war lead to a large number of displaced peoples, with approximately half a million displaced people of Azerbaijani Origin, and approximately three hundred thousand displaced people of Armenian origin.

Since then, the situation has remained stable, though occasional border clashes have occurred as Azerbaijan seeks to regain control of the region.

Further Reading (Wikipedia) ^^Feel ^^free ^^to ^^copy ^^and ^^paste ^^where ^^relevant
 * [Armenia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia)
 * [Armenia-Turkey Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia%E2%80%93Turkey_relations)
 * [Armenia-Russia Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia%E2%80%93Russia_relations)
 * [Azerbaijan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan)
 * [Azerbaijan-Turkey Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan%E2%80%93Turkey_relations)
 * [Azerbaijan-Russia Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan%E2%80%93Russia_relations)
 * [Nagorno-Karabakh War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagorno-Karabakh_War)
 * [Republic of Artsakh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Artsakh)