The complex feud between Azerbaijan and Armenia

The current tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia are not a recent phenomenon. They stem from a deep-seated historical animosity.

The two countries were once intensely opposed to each other during the period 1988-1990 and went through a fierce war from 1992-1994 over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Map of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Tensions between the two countries have existed since at least the early 20th century. Shortly afterOctober RevolutionRussia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia all gained independence and jointly claim sovereignty over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In addition to the war between the two countries, there is also a conflict between the Azerbaijani army and the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists.

However, since the two countries became constituent republics of Soviet Russia (in 1920), these tensions eased for a long period. Nagorno-Karabakh enjoyed autonomous status and was part of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Thus, with the formation of Soviet Russia and later the Soviet Union, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh temporarily subsided. The Soviet Union's "allocation" of Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan contributed to laying the foundation for Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the region.

People of Armenian ethnicity mourn Armenian soldiers killed in action in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Photo: Getty Images.

The inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan at that time was partly due to the influence of Turkey and the calculations of the Soviet leaders.

The conflicts existing in Nagorno-Karabakh are ethnic (the region's population is predominantly Armenian, and they aspire to join Armenia and escape Azerbaijani rule) and religious (Azerbaijan is the state religion, while Christianity is the most prevalent religion among Armenians).

As the Soviet Union weakened in the late 1980s and collapsed in 1991, ethnic and religious conflicts resurfaced. The Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region declared independence from Azerbaijan and sought to be annexed by Armenia.

War broke out between Nagorno-Karabakh (backed by Armenia) and Azerbaijan. As a result, 30,000 people died, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and Azerbaijan lost control of the region.

The self-proclaimed "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh" has existed ever since, despite not being recognized by the international community (only a few "countries" in a similar situation of not being recognized internationally have recognized the independence of the "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh").

Supporters of Azerbaijan in Berlin. Photo: Getty Images.

Under Russian mediation, a ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabakh was signed in May 1994, and a demilitarized zone was established between the opposing forces there.

Since then, sporadic military clashes have occurred between the two sides. The bloodiest engagement between them took place in early April 2016 when combined arms forces were deployed, resulting in at least dozens of soldiers killed and hundreds wounded.

Between 1988 and 1994, violence against civilians by the two rival ethnic groups escalated in Nagorno-Karabakh. There were numerous accusations of Armenians massacring Azerbaijanis and vice versa. Many Armenians were expelled from Azerbaijan, and many Azerbaijanis were driven out of Armenia.

In Nagorno-Karabakh alone, two opposing processes occurred: Azerbaijaniization and Armenianization. Ultimately, the Armenianization trend prevailed. Initially, Armenians only made up 60% of the population, but they later became completely dominant, especially after their victory in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. In addition to the expulsion of Azerbaijanis, many Armenians migrated from Armenia to live there.

Although the United Nations currently recognizes Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to some historical sources, much of this area once belonged to the ancient Armenian kingdom (before Christ) and, for various periods, was inhabited by multiple ethnic groups, including Azerbaijanis and Armenians.

According to VOV