Pre-Crisis Phase (August 30, 1991-December 9, 1991): Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991, and Azerbaijan formally achieved its independence from the Soviet Union following a referendum on September 21, 1991. The parliament revoke the autonomous status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region on November 27, 1991.
Crisis Phase (December 10, 1991-January 30, 1992): Some 99 percent of ethnic-Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region voted for independence from Azerbaijan in a referendum held on December 10, 1991. Artur Mkrtchyan was chosen as president of the Nagorno-Karabakh region following parliamentary elections on December 28, 1991. President Mutalibov of Azerbaijan placed Nagorino-Karabakh region under direct presidential rule on January 2, 1992. Nagorno-Karabakh formally declared its independence from Azerbaijan on January 6, 1992.
Conflict Phase (January 31, 1992-May 12, 1994): Government troops launched a military offensive against ethnic-Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on January 31, 1992. United Nations special envoy, Cyrus Vance, unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a ceasefire beginning in February 1992. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati of Iran began mediation efforts on February 25, 1992. The United Nations (UN) Security Council appealed for a ceasefire. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) established a ten-member conciliation commission (Minsk Group) on February 12, 1992. Ethnic-Armenians captured Khojaly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on February 26, 1992. Ethnic-Armenians killed some 500 civilians in Khojali on February 25-27, 1992, and government troops killed 27 individuals in Kazanchi on March 4-5, 1992. The OSCE imposed military sanctions (arms embargo) against the government and ethnic-Armenians beginning on February 28, 1992. Iran mediated the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the parties in Tehran on March 15, 1992. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) established a mission to provide humanitarian assistance in the region beginning on March 18, 1992. Azerbaijan and ethnic-Armenian forces resumed military hostilities on March 29, 1992. Iran mediated the signing of a ceasefire agreement between the parties in Tehran on May 8, 1992. Ethnic-Armenians captured Shusa on May 9, 1992. The UN sent fact-finding missions to the region from May 21-28, 1992 and July 4-10, 1992 to investigate allegations of chemical weapons use (the UN mission later reported that there was no evidence of the use of chemical weapons). Government troops launched a counter-military offensive against ethnic-Armenian rebels on June 12, 1992. The ethnic-Armenian government of Nagorno-Karabakh resigned on August 17, 1992, and the State Defense Committee chaired by Robert Kocharian assumed control of the government. Kazakhstan attempted to mediate negotiations between the parties beginning on August 27, 1992, resulting in the signing of a ceasefire agreement on August 28, 1992. The ceasefire went into effect on September 1, 1992, but was violated within a few days. Azerbaijan government troops launched a military offensive against ethnic-Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 18, 1992. Russia mediated a ceasefire agreement between the parties on September 19, 1992, and the ceasefire went into effect on September 25, 1992. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers appealed for a cessation of military hostilities on December 18, 1992. The presidents of Russia and the US jointly appealed for a cessation of military hostilities on January 3, 1993. On April 3, 1993, President Abulfaz Elchibei declared a state-of-emergency following an ethnic-Armenian military offensive. The UN Security Council appealed for a cessation of military hostilities on April 7, 1993, and appealed for the withdrawal of ethnic-Armenian rebels from occupied areas. Russia mediated the signing of a ceasefire agreement between ethnic-Armenian and government representatives on April 8, 1993, and the ceasefire went into effect on June 27, 1993. NATO foreign ministers appealed for an immediate cessation of military hostilities on June 11, 1993. The UN Security Council imposed military sanctions (arms embargo) against the government and Armenia on July 29, 1993. Government troops launched a military offensive against ethnic-Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh on October 21, 1993. President Rafsanjani of Iran mediated a ceasefire agreement between the parties on October 28, 1993. Russia mediated a ceasefire agreement between the parties on May 12, 1994. Some 25,000 individuals were killed, and some 800,000 individuals were displaced during the conflict.
Post-Conflict Phase (May 13, 1994-present): The International Rescue Committee (IRC) established a mission to provide humanitarian assistance to internally-displaced individuals in Azerbaijan beginning in 1994. Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) established a mission consisting of 96 personnel to provide humanitarian assistance to internally-displaced individuals in Azerbaijan. The ICRC provided repatriation assistance to ethnic-Armenian and Azerbaijan prisoners-of-war from May 12, 1995 to May 2, 1997. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) established a mission consisting of 26 personnel headed by Joost van der Aalst of the Netherlands to provide repatriation assistance beginning in March 1996. The parties resumed OSCE Minsk Group-mediated negotiations in Moscow on April 1, 1997. The OSCE Minsk Group offered a proposal to resolve the dispute on July 14, 1997, but the proposal was rejected by the Azerbaijan government and ethnic-Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh on August 25, 1997. Arkadiy Gukasyan was elected president of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 1, 1997, and he was inaugurated as president on September 8, 1997. The OSCE Minsk Group offered another peace proposal, which was accepted by Azerbaijan on October 8, 1997. The UN sent a six-member landmine assessment mission headed by Wolfgang Hirsch to Azerbaijan from October 28 to November 5, 1998. The US provided mine-clearing assistance and training (30 personnel) to the government beginning on October 1, 1999. President Arkady Ghukasian was re-elected president of Nagorno-Karabakh with 88.4 percent of the vote on August 11, 2002. Legislative elections were held in Nagorno-Karabakh on June 19, 2005, and the Democratic Party of Artsakh (Artsakhi Demokratakan Kusaktsutyun-ADK) won 12 out of 33 seats in the National Assembly. The Free Motherland (Azat Hayrenik-AH) won 10 seats in the National Assembly. Some 98 percent of voters in Nagorno-Karabakh approved a pro-independence constitution on December 11, 2006.
[Sources: Allock et al., 1992, 9-20; Associated Press (AP), May 26, 2001; Brecher and Wilkenfeld, 1997, 563-565; Clodfelter, 1992, 989-990; Ference, 1994, 337-391; International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) press release, May 15, 1995, June 9, 1995, July 25, 1995, December 22, 1995, April 5, 1997, April 19, 1997, May 2, 1997; Keesing’s Record of World Events, February 1992, March 1992, September 1997; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) press release, December 18, 1992, June 11, 1993; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), March 11, 1997, July 14, 1997, October 9, 1997, December 11, 2006; UN Chronicle, September 1992, December 1992; Weisburd, 1997, 111-113.]