Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh

Map of the occupied districts prior to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, where the former NKAO is depicted in pink and pre-2020 Azerbaijani-held territory in yellow.
1. Kalbajar
2. Lachin
3. Qubadli
4. Zangilan 		5. Jabrayil
6. Fuzuli
7. Agdam

The Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh[a] were areas of Azerbaijan, situated around the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), which were occupied by the ethnic Armenian military forces of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh (or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) with military support from Armenia, from the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994) to 2020, when the territories were returned to Azerbaijani control by military force or handed over in accordance to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement (with the exception of the Lachin corridor).[1][2][3][4] The surrounding regions were seized by Armenians under the justification of a "security belt" which was to be traded for recognition of autonomous status from Azerbaijan.[5][6]

The United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War demanding that all occupying forces withdraw from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.[7][8][9][10] In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 62/243, demanding the withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,[11] although the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the United States, voted against it.[12] Unlike the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, the population of all the adjacent Armenian-occupied districts were majority-Azerbaijani.[13][14]

In the wake of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020), Azerbaijan gained control over Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, and Qubadli districts, and Armenia agreed to withdraw its forces from Agdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts, returning them to Azerbaijani control, by 20 November, 25 November and 1 December 2020, respectively. This agreement was codified in a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, to be enforced by Russian peacekeepers.[15]


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  1. ^ "Around the Bloc: Kazakhstan Bans Child Jihadi Video, Russia Cracks Down on Capital Flight". Transitions Online (12/02). 2014. ISSN 1214-1615. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. ^ Lebanidze, Bidzina (2020). "Research design". Russia, EU and the Post-Soviet Democratic Failure. Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft. Springer Fachmedien. pp. 55–70. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-26446-8_4. ISBN 978-3-658-26445-1. S2CID 243035073. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Several leaders of Armenia's far right detained | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. ^ Нужны ли российские миротворцы в Нагорном Карабахе Archived 25 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
    Human Rights Watch. Playing the "Communal Card". Communal Violence and Human Rights. Archived 11 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine ("By early 1992 full-scale fighting broke out between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijani authorities.") / ("...Karabakh Armenian forces -often with the support of forces from the Republic of Armenia- conducted large-scale operations...") / ("Because 1993 witnessed unrelenting Karabakh Armenian offensives against the Azerbaijani provinces surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh...") / ("Since late 1993, the conflict has also clearly become internationalized: in addition to Azerbaijani and Karabakh Armenian forces, troops from the Republic of Armenia participate on the Karabakh side in fighting inside Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh.")
    Human Rights Watch. The former Soviet Union. Human Rights Developments. Archived 18 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine ("In 1992 the conflict grew far more lethal as both sides -the Azerbaijani National Army and free-lance militias fighting along with it, and ethnic Armenians and mercenaries fighting in the Popular Liberation Army of Artsakh- began...")
    United States Institute of Peace. Nagorno-Karabakh Searching for a Solution. Foreword. Archived 2 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine ("Nagorno-Karabakh’s armed forces have not only fortified their region but have also occupied a large swath of surrounding Azeri territory in the hopes of linking the enclave to Armenia.")
    United States Institute of Peace. Sovereignty after Empire. Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. Hopes and Disappointments: Case Studies. Archived 11 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine ("Meanwhile, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was gradually transforming into a full-scale war between Azeri and Karabakh irregulars, the latter receiving support from Armenia.") / ("Azerbaijan's objective advantage in terms of human and economic potential has so far been offset by the superior fighting skills and discipline of Nagorno-Karabakh's forces. After a series of offensives, retreats, and counteroffensives, Nagorno-Karabakh now controls a sizable portion of Azerbaijan proper (...), including the Lachin corridor.")
  5. ^ Episkopos, Mark (20 December 2020). "Nagorno-Karabakh and the Fresh Scars of War". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023. The goal has long been to trade these territories, sometimes called the "security belt," in exchange for a robust autonomous status for Nagorno-Karabakh on the best possible terms.
  6. ^ Kucera, Joshua (9 November 2020). "In Nagorno-Karabakh, the Cycle of Ethnic Cleansing Continues". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023. Armenians originally envisaged the seizure of these territories as a temporary measure: a security belt and a bargaining chip to return to Azerbaijan in exchange for concessions in return, such as the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh itself as Armenian.
  7. ^ "Resolution 822 (1993)" (PDF). unscr.com. United Nations Security Council. 30 April 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Resolution 853 (1993)" (PDF). unscr.com. United Nations Security Council. 29 July 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Resolution 874 (1993)" (PDF). unscr.com. United Nations Security Council. 14 October 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Resolution 884 (1993)" (PDF). unscr.com. United Nations Security Council. 12 November 1993.
  11. ^ "62/243. The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan". undocs.org. United Nations General Assembly. 25 April 2008. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  12. ^ "United Nations A/62/PV.86 General Assembly Sixty-second session". undocs.org. United Nations. 14 March 2008.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Azerbaijan: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 1 December 1994. pp. 99–105. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Moscow confirms peace deal signed, complete cessation of hostilities". The Moscow Times. 9 November 2020. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.