The Directions of Karabakh’s status quo The influences of foreign visitors on the degree of independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from the Republic of Armenia MA Thesis in East European Studies Graduate School for Humanities University of Amsterdam Rinke van Diermen Student ID: 5927870 Main Supervisor: dhr. dr. C.W.C. Reijnen Second Supervisor: dhr. prof. dr. M.J. Wintle Date: June 30th 2017 2 Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Part I The Becoming of a Disputed Land ...................................................................................... 7 I An Introduction to Geographical Karabakh ........................................................................................... 9 II A Place between Three Empires .............................................................................................................10 III Karabakh under Soviet Rule....................................................................................................................11 IV From Glasnost into Full War ..................................................................................................................13 V Dealing with a de facto Nagorno Karabakh Republic.........................................................................16 VI Views on Future Scenario’s .....................................................................................................................18 VII Daily Life Directions in the Diplomatic Freeze ...................................................................................19 Part II The NKR and its International Public ............................................................................. 21 I Conventional Tourism ..............................................................................................................................23 II The Involved Diaspora .............................................................................................................................28 III Guests from the NKR’s near-abroad ....................................................................................................35 Part III The Direction of the Impasse ......................................................................................... 38 I The Tourist Factor ....................................................................................................................................40 II Diaspora cohesion and the All Armenian Fund ...................................................................................42 III The Armenian Caucasus ...........................................................................................................................45 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 49 Primary Sources ............................................................................................................................... 56 3 Abstract After the Karabakh War was halted by an OSCE brokered ceasefire in 1994, the territory of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and some surrounding districts in Azerbaijan stayed under control of the Karabakh Armenians. The non-recognized state of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic does since de facto rule over this area, with help of the strong support by the Republic of Armenia. Since the de facto borders of Nagorno Karabakh with Azerbaijan and Iran are closed, Armenia is the only accessible neighbour. Nagorno Karabakh is to a large extent dependent on the economic and military assistance from their lifeline Armenia. Although Karabakh has an insecure security states because of the ongoing state of war with Azerbaijan, the status qua can be called relatively stable, and daily life continues in the de facto independent status for over two decades now. However isolated Nagorno Karabakh is, foreign visitors do frequent this region for various reasons. Foreigner visit as tourists, being attracted by the history, nature, cultural heritage or the curious unofficial status in which the de facto state finds itself. The Armenian diaspora is particularly interested in the area, and various charity initiatives have invested in the region’s educational, medical and infrastructural systems that were heavily damaged during the Karabakh War. They also form a lobby that achieves relative successes in international recognition of the status quo, particularly in some American states that have recognized the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Armenian nationals can be perceived as foreigners to Nagorno Karabakh as well, as the republic considers itself an independent country. The Armenian nationals arriving to Karabakh have economic relations with the region, and form an important military support. These visitors have various influences on the direction of development of the de facto state. Some of these developments help state-building processes and steer towards a higher degree of independency for Karabakh from the Republic of Armenia. Other developments lead to a relationship between Karabakh and Armenia that have an integrational character. Visits that aid Karabakh to gain more independency and legitimacy are for instance the tourists, as they support the Karabakh internal economy and financial independence from Armenia and increase the notoriety of the de facto state abroad, which increases legitimacy for its existence. The Armenian diaspora lobby that advocates the recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh state has the same effects on legitimacy and independency. Visits that generate a further integration of the two ethnic Armenian republics are most of the diaspora charity investments and the Armenian nationals that visit Karabakh. Some of the most influential charity investments have been directed to connecting the Karabakh and Armenian road system. Visitors from the Republic of Armenia aid Karabakh in being part of Armenia’s economic area and integrate it in that manner. Armenians that arrive in Karabakh for military purpose help to integrate the military structure and sense of common responsibility to defend a common border against a common enemy. 4 Introduction A cease fire, signed in May 1994, made an end to the Nagorno-Karabakh War. A conflict between the Azerbaijani central Baku government and a mountainous region with local Armenian majorities seeking independence. In the course of the war, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes in the broader region. Azeri’s and Kurds were expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia proper. Armenians fled from Baku, Nakhchevan and the rest of Azerbaijan, mainly to the Republic of Armenia. Pogroms and ethnic violence made whole villages gather their belongings and flee. The military conflict was limited to the Karabakh region. The cease fire that was signed between the Azerbaijani and the ethnic Armenian forces in 1994 resulted in around 14% of internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan being in control of the self-declared de facto independent Republic of Nagorno- Karabakh (NKR) with Stepanakert as its capital. With regular clashes at the line of contact the ‘frozen conflict’ sees sparks of increased violence from time to time. The most severe clash since the cease fire agreements being only recently, in April 2016, when some dozen of casualties fell on both sides in the course of a three days ‘April War’. But in general, looking at the more than two decades of de facto existence of the NKR, the situation on the ground can be called calm, and even an occasional tourist does visit Stepanakert. This work intends to investigate the effects of daily life going on in the region and slowly reshaping it among lines set by the current controllers. The work will focus on the effects foreign activities have on the directions the region develops in relation to its only accessible neighbour, its supporter and vital ally: the Republic of Armenia. The need for support from this indispensable neighbour makes the Nagorno Karabakh Republic float somewhere between annexed, a satellite state, an autonomous region and independence. The NKR is ruled by its elected government, that allowed the NKR exist, evolve, organize and function for over twenty-five years now. It allowed the rulers to invite the investors and individuals to the area according to their choice and liking, but they are limited by closed borders and the non-official status of the state they created. The core topic of this work, the foreign visitors effects on the regions developments, are aligned along two different possible developments. The one being the emergence of an ever stronger, viable, self- supporting and more independent NKR that gains a wider and international legitimacy for its own existence. The other being the ever further incorporation of the region within Armenia proper, proving the impossibility of this region to sustain an independence from Azerbaijan without being a de facto part of Armenia. The work consists of three parts which will lead to an overall conclusion. The first part will give a background to the regions