1(b) Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State

Fact Sheet
U.S. Department of State
March 30, 2001

HISTORY OF THE MINSK CONFERENCE

The Helsinki Additional Meeting of the Council for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on March 24, 1992 requested the Chairman-in-Office (CiO) to convene a conference on Nagorno-Karabakh, under the auspices of the CSCE, to provide an ongoing forum for negotiations towards a peaceful settlement. The conference was to have taken place in Minsk, but never occurred. The so-called Minsk Group comprising a dozen OSCE states has spearheaded the effort to find a political solution to the conflict. The Minsk Group today includes Norway, Austria, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, France, the Russian Federation, the United States, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The December 1994 Budapest Summit established a co-chairmanship for the process. The CiO issued on March 23, 1995, the mandate for the Co-chairmen of the Minsk Process. In early 1997 the Co-Chairmanship was revised to its current composition: the United States, Russian Federation, and France. The current Co-Chair representatives are Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh of the United States, Ambassador Nikolai Gribkov of the Russian Federation, and Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde of France.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs are responsible for efforts to advance peace and stability in this region. They frequently visit the region, meeting with the Parties to the conflict (in Baku, Yerevan, and Stepanakert) to promote a peaceful solution and confidence-building measures. They report to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, formerly CSCE) Chairman-in-Office, currently Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana. The Minsk Process is aided by other complementary OSCE bodies, such as the High-Level Planning Group (HLPG), which is made up of military experts seconded by OSCE participating States, and the Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office, who resides in the region.

HISTORY OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

In the late l8th century, several khanates, including Karabakh, emerged in the south Caucasus to challenge the waning influence of the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian Empire eventually took control over the region in 1813, Azerbaijani Turks began to emigrate from Karabakh, while the Armenian population of mountainous (nagorno) Karabakh grew. With the 1917 Russian Revolution, Azerbaijan and Armenia each declared independence and sought control over Karabakh during the Russian Civil War. In 1923, after the Bolshevik takeover of the Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh (N-K) was made an autonomous region within the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic. Soviet control temporarily quieted ethnic tensions.

By the 1980s, N-K's population was about 75% ethnic Armenian, with most Azerbaijanis living in the district and city of Susha. During the glasnost of the late 1980s, there was a push for a change in N-K's status. In 1988, Armenian demonstrations against Azerbaijani rule broke out in both N-K and Armenia, and the N-K Supreme Soviet voted to secede from Azerbaijan. In 1990, after violent episodes in N-K, Baku, and Sumgait, Moscow declared a state of emergency in N-K, sent troops to the region and forcibly occupied Baku. In April 1991, Azerbaijani militia and Soviet forces targeted Armenian paramilitaries operating in N-K; Moscow also deployed troops to Yerevan. However, in September 1991, Moscow declared it would no longer support Azerbaijani military action in N-K. Armenian militants then stepped up the violence. In October 1991, a referendum in N-K approved independence.

The violence increased dramatically after the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Over 30,000 people were killed in the fighting from 1992 to 1994. In May 1992, Armenian and Karabakhi forces seized Susha (the historical Azerbaijani-populated capital of the region) and Lachin (thereby linking N-K to Armenia). By October 1993 Armenian and Karabakhi forces eventually succeeded in occupying almost all of N-K, Lachin and large areas in southwestern Azerbaijan. As Armenian and Karabakhi forces advanced, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani refugees fled to other parts of Azerbaijan. In 1993 the UN Security Council adopted resolutions calling for the cessation of hostilities, unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief efforts, and the eventual deployment of a peacekeeping force in the region. The UN also called for immediate withdrawal of all ethnic Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Fighting continued, however, until May 1994, when Russia brokered a cease-fire.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS

Russia brokered a general cease-fire in May 1994 and this continues to hold. There are frequent violations, however, and cross-border sniping and land-mine incidents claim hundreds of lives each year. All sides insist on their continued commitment to a settlement reached through negotiations.

U.S., Russian and French officials, under OSCE auspices and representing a group of interested OSCE member states (the "Minsk Group") as Co-Chairs, have been working in close and effective cooperation to bring the parties to the negotiating table. Co-Chair shuttle diplomacy in 1997-98, with input from the parties, generated three proposals, which remain on the table. Each party, however, at one time or other, rejected at least one of the proposals, thereby preventing negotiations from restarting within the OSCE framework.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs declined to submit further proposals, prompting Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian to initiate a direct dialogue in April 1999. The two presidents have met over a dozen times since then in pursuit of a settlement. Details of their talks remain confidential. At the same time, the Co-Chairs have worked separately with the presidents to facilitate their dialogue and to expand the range of confidence-building measures, and other steps, to reinforce the cease-fire. The Co-Chairs have welcomed the direct dialogue as complementary to the multilateral diplomatic track. Nevertheless, they also recognize that Nagorno-Karabakh authorities must be included in the process and the views of the population there taken into account. The two presidents met most recently in Paris on January 26 and March 4-5 and, with personal diplomatic efforts by President Chirac, made some progress. The April 3-7 Key West talks will introduce a new format by having the presidents meet separately with the three Co-Chair mediators in a proximity format over the course of several days.

FACT SHEET: AZERBAIJAN

The Republic of Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991. Located south of Russia and north of Iran, Azerbaijan is slightly smaller than the state of Maine. Azerbaijan's population of approximately 8 million is homogeneous, with Azerbaijanis comprising about 90 percent. Dagestani Peoples represent 3.2 percent, Russians 2.5 percent, and Armenians 2 percent. The official state language is Azerbaijani. Approximately 93 percent of the population is Muslim. Azerbaijan's literacy rata is about 97 percent. The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku.

The executive branch of the Azerbaijani government consists of the President, his apparat, a Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Heydar Aliyev has been the President since June 1993. Artur Rasizade is the Prime Minister, Vilayat Guliyev the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Safar Abiyev the Minister of Defense. The legislative branch consists of the 125-member parliament (Milli Majlis) whose members are elected for 5-year terms. The judicial branch, headed by a Constitutional Court, is nominally independent.

The United States and Azerbaijan share close and friendly relations. The U.S. opened an embassy in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, in March 1992. Relations between the two countries are firmly grounded in our shared assessment of the importance of peace, stability and prosperity in the Caucasus region. The FREEDOM Support Act (FSA), enacted in October 1992, has been the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to assist the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, during their difficult transition to democracy and a market economy. While section 907 of the FSA prohibits most U.S. government assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan (until it "ceases all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh"), subsequent legislation has allowed USG assistance in key areas including programs that support democracy, humanitarian assistance and non-proliferation. Under the FSA, the U.S. to date has provided approximately $165.92 million in humanitarian and developmental assistance to Azerbaijan, including $32.18 million in FY 2000.

We also have established joint task forces with Azerbaijan on security and economic development issues. The third meeting of the U.S.-Azerbaijan Economic Task Force was held in Azerbaijan in March 2001 and the second meeting of the U.S.-Azerbaijan Bilateral Security Dialogue was held in Washington in October 2000.

FACT SHEET: ARMENIA

The Republic of Armenia declared independence from the Soviet Union on September 21, 1991. Slightly larger than the state of Maryland, Armenia's population was approximately 3.6 million in 1989, but most observers believe that large-scale emigration has led to a dramatic decline in that number today. Although there are no reliable figures, well over 1.5 million citizens have emigrated from Armenia since independence, leaving a population of under 2 million today. The population is homogeneous, with Armenians comprising about 95 percent, Russians 2 percent, and Kurds and others 3 percent. The official state language is Armenian, with Russian a second language for about 40 percent of the population. Approximately 91 percent of the population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Armenia has one of the highest literacy rates -- 99 percent --in the region. The capital of Armenia is Yerevan.

Robert Kocharian has been the President of Armenia since March 1998. Andranik Markarian is the Prime Minister, Vartan Oskanian the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Serge Sargsian the Minister of Defense. Over the past year, the Armenian government and populace have worked to recover from the severe political and social crisis it suffered in October 1999, when gunmen invaded the Armenian Parliament and assassinated the Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament, as well as six other officials.

The United States and Armenia share close and friendly relations. The U.S. recognized the independence of Armenia on December 25, 1991, and opened an embassy in Yerevan in February 1992. Relations between the two countries are firmly grounded in our shared assessment of the importance of peace, stability and economic development in the Caucasus region. The FREEDOM Support Act (FSA), enacted in October 1992, has been the cornerstone of U.S. efforts to assist the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union, during their difficult transition to democracy and a market economy. Under the FSA, the U.S. to date has provided approximately $734 million in humanitarian and developmental assistance to Armenia. We also have established the U.S.-Armenia Task Force on Economic Cooperation -- which met in Armenia in March -- and holds annual bilateral security meetings. In addition, the interest and support of more than one million Armenian-Americans adds a vital human element to U.S.-Armenian relations.