The Armenian-controlled territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh or the seven occupied districts of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh^[1] are areas de jure part of Azerbaijan and situated outside the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), which have been controlled by the military forces of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Artsakh since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War. This territory was formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and is still sometimes referred to as NKR.^[2][3][4][5] All of these districts are equivalent to the former raions of Azerbaijan SSR except Kalbajar District, which now includes a part of the former NKAO.

Unlike Nagorno-Karabakh, the population of all the adjacent Armenian-controlled districts were majority-Azerbaijani until their deportations from the districts during the 1988-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War.^[6][7]

During the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding that all occupying forces in the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh withdraw.^{[8][9][10][11]} In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 62/243, demanding the withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.^[12]

In the wake of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Armenian forces agreed to withdraw from these districts, returning them to Azerbaijani control, by December 1, 2020. This agreement was codified in a Russian-brokered peace treaty, and will be enforced by Russian peacekeepers. As part of this settlement, Azerbaijan must grant Armenians continuing access to the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia proper to the areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that will remain under Armenian control.^[13]

Territory and Population

Before 2020 war

Based on the administrative and territorial division of Azerbaijan, Armenian forces control the territory of the following districts of Azerbaijan:^[14][15]

a: excluding village Çocuq Mərcanlı

The outer perimeter of these territories is a line of direct contact between the military forces of the Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.^[18]

After 2020 war

History

At the outset of the Karabakh conflict, the majority-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was surrounded by regions with Azerbaijani majorities and had no land border with Armenia.

• 18 May 1992, Armenian forces took Lachin, opening the Lachin corridor for land communications between NKR and Armenia. A strong offensive by Armenian forces occurred in 1993, resulting in the securing of further territory to act as a "security zone".
• 27 March 1993, Armenian forces launched an offensive in Kelbajar and by 5 April had completely captured the area of Kalbajar District, creating a strong link between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia and removing from the Lachin corridor the threat of attack from the north.
• 23 July 1993, after 40 days of fighting, officially known in Armenia as the "suppression of enemy firing points", Agdam was taken. Then followed an attack in the south:
• 22 August 1993 – Fuzuli was taken.
• 25 August 1993 – Jabrayil was taken.
• 31 August 1993 – Qubadli was taken.
• 29 October 1993 – Zangilan was taken.

Since then, Armenians have been in control of most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, with Azerbaijan controlling parts of the eastern Martuni and eastern Martakert. In addition, since that time, Armenians have controlled all of the territory between the former NKAO and Iran, as well as all of the territory between the former NKAO and Armenia, and some areas to the east surrounding Aghdam. Nagorno-Karabakh also claims but does not control the region known until 1992 as Shahumian, which although being majority-Armenian before 1992, was not part of the NKAO. Shahumian's Armenian population was driven out during the war, and the Armenian and Azeri forces have been separated on the northern front by the Murovdag mountain chain ever since.^[21]

Since 1994, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held talks on the future of the security belt territories. The Armenian side has offered to act in accordance with the "land for status" formula (returning the territory of the security belt to the control of Azerbaijan in exchange for Azerbaijan recognizing the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh and giving security assurances to the Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor),^[22] Azerbaijan, on a formula of "land for peace" (returning the territory of the security belt back to Azerbaijan in exchange for security guarantees with Azerbaijan controlling territories of Nagorno-Karabakh). Facilitators have also offered, in particular, another "land for status" option (returning the territory of the security belt to the control of Azerbaijan in exchange for guarantees by Azerbaijan to hold at some point a referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh).^[23] The involved parties have failed to reach any agreement.

Legal status

During the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions calling for the withdrawal of occupying forces from the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.^{[24][25][26][27][non-primary source needed]} In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Resolution 62/243 by 39 to 7, calling for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.^{[28][non-primary source needed]}

• From the standpoint of the Nagorno-Karabakh, the security belt is territory of Azerbaijan temporarily controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army until the receipt of security guarantees for the Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of control over the whole of the territory declared by the Nagorno-Karabakh, with the exception of the Lachin corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia (which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has stated it does not intend to return because of its strategic importance)^[29][30]
• According to international law, the 7 adjacent districts are occupied territories of Azerbaijan.^[31]