Nagorno-Karabakh
- Contested territories
- Independence declared 1991
- President Samvel Shahramanyan
- Capital Stepanakert
- Inhabitants 120,000
- Area 4,400 km²
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous and forested region in the South Caucasus. Internationally, it is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it was controlled for 30 years by an Armenian de facto government which declared independence in 1991. A war was fought from 1991-1994 and again in 2020, resulting in a major shift in the control of the territories. In September 2023, Azeri forces took over the whole enclave in a 1-day war, after which the whole population of over 100,000 inhabitants fled across the border with Armenia. Up to now, nobody returned and the territory is deserted.
The Impact of War
This is Anaik Gevorkyan and her husband Azat. In the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War they were forced to leave their home in Lachin, a town in the strategic Lachin corridor, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Documentary photographer Valery Melnikov is nominated with this image for the World Press Photo of the Year 2021.
Floor Koomen | 30 Mar 2021
Waiting for Visitors in the State Museum
Every afternoon, students wait for visitors in the state museum in Stepanakert. They would like to practise their English, but only rarely a tourist shows up. Not many foreigners dare to travel to this unrecognized state in the Caucasus. (Article in Dutch)
Jorie Horsthuis | 6 Feb 2009