The Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Declaration of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

The Soviet Union's disintegration in 1991 fundamentally changed the legal and political context of the conflict.

On August 30, 1991, Azerbaijan adopted a declaration restoring its independence.

On September 21, 1991, Armenia held an independence referendum, followed by the formal declaration of independence on September 23.

On September 2, 1991, representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Shahumyan region proclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The proclamation relied in part on Soviet legislation concerning the secession of union republics and the rights of autonomous territories.

The legal dispute

Armenian leaders argued that Nagorno-Karabakh's population possessed a right to self-determination and that Soviet legal procedures provided grounds for separation from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan rejected this interpretation and maintained that Nagorno-Karabakh remained within its internationally recognized borders.

On November 26, 1991, Azerbaijan's parliament abolished Nagorno-Karabakh's autonomous status.

Karabakh Armenian authorities rejected the decision.

On December 10, 1991, a referendum was held in the territory claimed by the self-proclaimed republic. The reported result overwhelmingly favored independence, but the Azerbaijani population largely boycotted the vote, and the referendum did not receive international recognition as establishing statehood.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union later that month removed the central government that had previously exercised authority over both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The conflict now involved independent states, a self-proclaimed republic, competing legal claims, and rapidly expanding armed forces.

Self-determination and territorial integrity

The central legal disagreement concerned two important principles of international law.

The first was the right of peoples to self-determination.

The second was the territorial integrity and sovereignty of internationally recognized states.

These principles are not inherently incompatible, but their application to secessionist conflicts is complex.

Armenian authorities emphasized the Armenian population's security, political will, and historical connection to the region.

Azerbaijan emphasized its recognized borders, the rights of displaced Azerbaijanis, and the prohibition against acquiring territory through force.

International organizations continued to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, even though the self-proclaimed republic established its own governing institutions and exercised de facto authority over territory.

No United Nations member state recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as an independent sovereign state.