In the story 2024, the first perished country appears, from independence to extinction, only 32 years
On the first day of 2024, as the world basks in the joy of the New Year, the Nagorno-Karabakh people experience one of the saddest moments in history.
On this day, the Nagorno-Kara** Republic, to which the Nagorno-Kara people belong, officially announced its dissolution, becoming the first country in the world to be destroyed in this year.
Back in September 2023, the leadership of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic signed an order announcing that the country would officially cease to exist on January 1, 2024, according to Sputnik news agency and AFP.
With a total area of 4,400 square kilometres, Nagorno-Karabakh is ranked 166th in the world, which is larger than some countries such as Singapore, Luxembourg and the Maldives.
With about 150,000 inhabitants, Nagorno-Karabakh is not the most sparsely populated country in the world, but why did it suddenly dissolve? The reasons behind all this involve issues left over from history.
When it comes to the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, even geographers who know the world map inside out can be confused.
This country, as if it had disappeared from the map, could not be marked, and was obscured by Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Its existence, as if in obscurity somewhere on the planet, is overlooked.
However, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is not small in size. With a territory area of 4,400 square kilometers, it is slightly smaller than Palestine but twice as large as Luxembourg. With a population of about 120,000, it is not inferior to some small countries.
It was founded in late 1991, ahead of some "young" countries such as Kazakhstan. However, despite this heritage, the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is little known and is collectively ignored by all the surrounding countries.
It all stems from the tragic fate of Nagorno-Karabakh. It was part of the Kingdom of Armenia and eventually became part of Azerbaijan after Persian, Russian, and Soviet rule. Between the "Caspian brothers" Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is the focus of contention.
The inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are predominantly Armenian, but Azerbaijan and Armenia are constantly in conflict over the land. Even during the Soviet era, the turmoil in Nagorno-Karabakh continued. With the existence of territorial disputes, hatred has become deeply entrenched between Azerbaijan and Armenia and has been difficult to dissolve for a hundred years.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the high-rise buildings that had been immersed in expectations under the guidance of the United States began to waver, and the mood of the three brothers of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan also became restless.
They showed a strong tendency to "break away from the Soviet Union" and a desire to free themselves from the yoke of the past. The Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan was naturally the first focus of the revolt due to its large population of Armenians.
With the backing of Armenia, the Armenian community in the Nagorno-Karabakh region began to oppose Azerbaijani rule. They first demanded reunification with Armenia to the Soviet Union, and then the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region voted to achieve reunification with Armenia, making Azerbaijan the suzerainty of Nagorno-Karabakh. This unilateral declaration sparked fierce fighting between two factions within the Nagorno-Karabakh region, culminating in the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1988, which Azerbaijan justified in making Nagorno-Karabakh its territory and abolishing the autonomous region's local self-government status.
However, the collapse of the Soviet Union approached, and Nagorno-Karabakh declared the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, freeing itself from Azerbaijani control while also distancing itself from Armenia. But with the weaker country struggling to gain a foothold on the international stage, Nagorno-Karabakh is in a diplomatic dilemma.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia, aware of the complexity of the geopolitical environment in the region, chose to support Armenia. Azerbaijan's relative military and economic weakness, while Armenia's support from Russia, made the two unusually confrontational in the war. To avoid an escalation of the situation, Russia brokered a ceasefire that allowed Nagorno-Karabakh to remain an independent state, but not to any state.
Although Azerbaijan lost the "custody rights" of Nagorno-Karabakh and lost part of its original land, in the following three decades, Azerbaijan gave full play to its local energy advantages, transported natural gas and oil by sea, and actively participated in international cooperation organizations. At the same time, the country is committed to developing a diversified industrial structure, moving away from excessive dependence on energy and moving towards a sustainable future.
Thirty years later, the status of Azerbaijan and Armenia has changed dramatically, marking the last chance for Azerbaijan to make a comeback.
At a time when the world's attention is focused on the dispute between Russia and Ukraine, a small country that was originally unknown has been drawn into the whirlpool of war.
At the beginning of October 2023, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensified, Hamas was brewing a storm that was about to erupt over Israel. At the same time, Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh fell victim to the storm and were forced to migrate "at any cost" in just one week.
In this conflict between Argentina and Argentina, Turkey has been providing military support to Azerbaijan with open fire, while Armenia is weakening day by day. Forced to make difficult choices in the face of adversity, the leaders of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh signed a proclamation on January 1, 2024, announcing the end of the existence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
This small country is as insignificant as a grain of dust in the shadow of the great power game, but the changes of the times are like a mountain that weighs on everyone's head. For these weak and small countries, caught in the shadow of the great power game, every move may become a catastrophe.