YEREVAN, Armenia — In a historic announcement on Thursday, the separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh revealed its decision to dissolve itself, marking the end of the unrecognized republic by January 1, 2024.
President Samvel Shakhramanyan, the leader of the region’s separatist administration, signed a decree formalizing this decision. The document references an agreement reached last week in order to halt hostilities. According to this agreement, Azerbaijan has pledged to facilitate the “free, voluntary and unhindered movement” of Nagorno-Karabakh residents and disarm Armenian troops in exchange.
Nagorno-Karabakh, originally part of Azerbaijan, fell under the control of ethnic Armenian forces with support from the Armenian military during the separatist conflict that concluded in 1994. However, in a six-week-long war during 2020, Azerbaijan successfully recaptured portions of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as the surrounding territories that had been claimed by Armenian forces during the earlier conflict.
Following the lifting of the blockade subsequent to the military offensive and the implementation of a ceasefire facilitated by Russian peacekeepers, more than half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population, an estimated 65,000 people, have fled to Armenia.
This dissolution marks the end of an era for Nagorno-Karabakh and raises questions about the region’s future as it integrates back into Azerbaijan.
