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Factbox: Nagorno-Karabakh - disputed by Azerbaijan, Armenia

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24 June 2011

(Reuters) - The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet along with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday [24 June] to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Mediators Russia, the United States and France have urged the leaders to endorse a framework document that would pave the way for talks to resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians threw off Azeri rule in the early 1990s.

Here is a profile of the region and the conflict:

HISTORY:

The status of Nagorno-Karabakh has been disputed since 1918, when Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent from the Russian empire. Soviet rule was imposed in the South Caucasus in 1921, and predominantly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the Azeri Soviet republic. In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities demanded to be transferred to the Armenian republic. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence in a referendum boycotted by most of the local ethnic Azeri population.

WAR:

Sporadic fighting between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azeris erupted in all-out war in 1991. Ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, drove back Azeri forces and took control of seven districts of Azerbaijan adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. Some 30,000 people were killed and about 1 million became refugees, the majority in Azerbaijan. A ceasefire was signed in 1994, but there are frequent violations.

GEOGRAPHY, POPULATION:

Statistics are disputed, but Nagorno-Karabakh is estimated to have a population of a little over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Almost all Azeris fled during the war. The capital is Stepanakert. Renowned for its beauty, the mountain region is around 4,400 square km (1,760 miles) in area. It has its own political institutions, but is closely linked politically and economically to Armenia. Its declared independence has not been recognised by any state, including Armenia.

NEGOTIATIONS:

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Minsk Group of U.S., French and Russian envoys leads mediation efforts, and have organised many meetings between the Azeri and Armenian leaders since the 1990s.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stepped up Moscow's mediation. Before Friday, he had met together with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarksyan eight times since he took office in 2008.

BASIC PRINCIPLES:

The mediators hope Armenia and Azerbaijan will finalise and endorse a 14-point framework document setting out key elements—or Basic Principles—of a resolution and paving the way for negotiations in a final settlement of the conflict.

The document, which has not been made public, would set guidelines on six issues at the centre of negotiations:

-The return of Armenian-held territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azeri control.

-An interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing for security and self-governance.

-The future determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh by an expression of the will of the people.

-The provision of a land corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

-The right of return of displaced people and refugees on both sides

-International security guarantees, including a peacekeeping force.

PITFALLS:

-If they do agree a framework document, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia will have to decide whether to make it public after years of secretive talks, and could face difficulties convincing citizens of the wisdom of the agreement.

-Fighting along the frontline could jeopardise agreement.

-Diplomats and analysts warn that the sides could drift apart again if agreement on a framework document is not followed within a reasonable period by a final peace settlement.

-A resolution will have to square the principles of territorial integrity, which is emphasised by Azerbijan, and self-determination, emphasised by Armenia.

-Negotiations on a peace settlement will likely have to involve the de-facto leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh itself, adding another element to the volatile mix.

Sources: Reuters/www.britannica.com

(Writing by Matt Robinson and Steve Gutterman)

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