Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenia provides political, material and military support to the
Republic of Artsakh in the longstanding
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The current conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 when Armenian
demonstrations against Azerbaijani rule broke out in Nagorno–Karabakh and later in Armenia. The
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia. Soon, violence broke out against Armenians in Azerbaijan and Azeris in Armenia. In 1990, after violent episodes in Nagorno–Karabakh and Azerbaijani cities like
Baku,
Sumgait and
Kirovabad, Moscow declared a state of emergency in Karabakh, sending troops to the region, and
forcibly occupied Baku, killing over a hundred civilians. In April 1991, Azerbaijani militia and Soviet forces targeted Armenian populations in Karabakh, known as
Operation Ring. Moscow also deployed troops to
Yerevan. Following the collapse of the
Soviet Union, conflict escalated into a full-scale war between the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (supported by Armenia), and Azerbaijan. Military action was influenced by the Russian military, which manipulated the rivalry between the two neighbouring sides in order to keep both under control. More than 30,000 people were killed in the fighting during the period of 1988 to 1994. In May 1992, Armenian forces seized
Shusha and
Lachin (thereby linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia). By October 1993, Armenian forces succeeded in taking almost all of former NKAO, Lachin and large areas in southwestern Azerbaijan. In 1993, the
UN Security Council adopted
four resolutions calling for the cessation of hostilities, unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief efforts, and the eventual deployment of a peacekeeping force in the region. Fighting continued, however, until May 1994 at which time Russia brokered a cease-fire between the three sides. Negotiations to resolve the conflict peacefully have been ongoing since 1992 under the
Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The Minsk Group is co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States and has representation from Turkey, the U.S., several European nations, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Despite the 1994 cease-fire, sporadic violations,
sniper-fire and
land mine incidents continue to claim over 100 lives each year. Since 1997, the Minsk Group co-chairs have presented three proposals to serve as a framework for resolving the conflict. Each proposal was rejected. Beginning in 1999, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia initiated a direct dialogue through a series of face-to-face meetings, often facilitated by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The OSCE sponsored a round of negotiations between the presidents in
Key West, Florida. U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell launched the talks on 3 April 2001, and the negotiations continued with mediation by the U.S., Russia and France until 6 April 2001. The Co-Chairs are still continuing to work with the two presidents in the hope of finding lasting peace. The two countries were technically still at war until 2025. Citizens of Armenia, as well as citizens of any other country who are of
Armenian descent, are forbidden entry to Azerbaijan. If a person's passport shows evidence of travel to Nagorno–Karabakh, they are forbidden entry to Azerbaijan. In 2008, in what became known as the
2008 Mardakert Skirmishes, Armenian forces and Azerbaijan clashed over Nagorno-Karabakh. The fighting between the sides was brief, with few casualties on either side. The
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and the
2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh were the latest escalations of the unresolved conflict. On 8 August 2025, in a press conference at the
White House, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a peace deal, ending the conflict after over three decades. ==Countries without diplomatic relations==