Table of Contents

Letter from the Secretary-General 2 Letter From the Directors 3 Statement of the Problem 4 History of the Committee 5 History of the Conflict 6 Current Situation 9 Past Actions 10 Bloc Positions 13 Questions a Resolution Must Answer 14 Suggestions for further research 15 Position Paper Guidelines 15 Disclaimer on Committee Dynamics 16 Closing Remarks 17 Bibliography 17

1 Letter from the Secretary-General

Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the 8th edition of Newton College Model United Nations! My name is Alvaro Estrella and I will be acting as the secretary-general of this edition!

I am a second year IB Diploma student at Newton College looking to major in Computer Science in the near future. Please do not feel confused if you have seen versions of myself in the corridors as I have an identical twin, which, ironically, would also like to study Computer Science. I feel my interests and hobbies were influenced by my second brother (currently studying Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin), However I have always enjoyed technology-related activities. I also enjoy non-technology-related activities such as playing football, listening to music, and discussing controversial topics.

My MUN career started as an usher in NewMUN 2015 when I was 11 years old. Shortly after the conference I was invited to join the MUN Club (I felt it was a huge privilege as at the time since the club was restricted to students under the age of 15). My first formal conference was FDRMUN 2016 where, In conjunction with the former secretary-general, Carlos Urrunaga, we debated on the topic of the Carbon Tax as Switzerland. Throughout the whole conference I did not speak once, so much so, in the funny awards I was highlighted as the most shy delegate. After the conference I thought MUN was not for me and I took a three year break. In 2019, I felt more prepared, and became an active participant of the club, primarily attending crisis committees. In the same year I became a member of the Secretariat and one year later I became the acting secretary-general.

Throughout the past year, MUN at Newton and MUN in general have been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic; starting the year with NewMUN 2020 cancelled and other conferences migrating to Zoom there was certainly some doubt on how the club was going to move forward. However, the secretariat along with our faculty advisors managed to set a plan for the future of the club. Currently, MUN at Newton has continued to maintain its participants and has adapted due to the hard work of the secretariat.

This conference is not about me, or about the Newton Delegation, it is about you: delegates. Even during the pandemic you have kept participating in conferences and taking advantage of opportunities to discuss global issues. NewMUN has been specifically built brick by brick in order to fulfill your needs and to overcome your expectations. We commit ourselves towards making NewMUN become a vessel for your own MUN story.

Yours in diplomacy, ALVARO ESTRELLA [email protected]

2 Letter From the Directors:

Dear Delegates,

It is our honor to welcome you all to the NewMUN 2021 United Nations Security Council Committee!

Although reading a dual letter may sound weird, we hope that our enthusiasm can be reachable. Our names are Arnav Sahoo and Matias Blanes. It’s of our utmost pleasure to be joint committee directors of this year’s UNSC on the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Alongside our reliable co-chair Lucas Maldonado, we will be looking forward to being shown just what the future leaders of the world can do when it comes to a problem concerning the very core values of the international community, such is the nature of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

We are both executives and part of the secretariat team at Newton College since 2019. As strong enthusiasts of the UNSC, we have participated in several conferences as double delegates, particularly, in UNSC committees. However, it’s also conspicuous that you are also fascinated by the dynamic of this type of committee, so we are eager to be presented with new possibilities on such a fascinating issue.

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War is a conflict which could not get much international media coverage, mainly because of the large coverage of the 2020 US presidential elections. Nonetheless, it is a conflict involving the interest of various Eastern Powers. The conflict has shaped much of the Eastern Hemisphere’s politics, both in a positive and a negative way. While it isn’t as deadly as other conflicts currently taking place, it sure is one of the longest. Many solutions have been proposed, but have failed to decrease the tensions between and . However, it is your duty to shape the end of this conflict.

Please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail containing any questions, doubts or general misconceptions regarding the background guide, topic or committee as a whole. We’ll be glad to answer them. Without further ado, we wish you the best of luck. We’re looking forward to seeing you in committee!

Arnav Sahoo & Matias Blanes UNSC Co-Directors [email protected] [email protected]

3 Statement of the Problem:

Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region in southwestern Azerbaijan with an ethnic Armenian majority. Although the area is part of Azerbaijan, it is governed by the post- breakaway . While no UN member recognizes its existence, the state has its own military and government. Armenia is known for supporting Artsakh, given that the state consists of an Armenian majority.

Below is a map of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The regions shaded in grey are Armenian lands, while those in orange are the regions governed by Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the areas shaded in pink, represent the regions with Armenian troops that are internationally recognized as Azerbaijani land. The border between the Azeri regions dominated by Armenian troops and the rest of Azerbaijan is known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact (broken lines coloured in black).

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War is the second war in the area after the dissolution of the . One important factor to be considered is the ethnicity and social identity of both countries. Despite the proximity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the ethnic differences are noticeable. The vast majority of Armenia belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church (92.5%) while 96.8% of Azerbaijan’s population practices Islam. Nonetheless, both countries are known to have secularity rooted in their national constitutions. In Nagorno-Karabakh alone, 98% of its citizens affiliate themselves with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Additionally, Nagorno-Kharabakh’s population is mostly Armenian, which makes the majority of its citizens feel more identified with Armenia rather than Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991. However, the over Nagorno-Karabakh had already started by then. Since ’s annexation of Crimea, Karabakh has been the only post-Soviet frozen conflict zone concerning the sovereignty of multiple nations.

On September 27, the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War commenced. It’s still not clear which party started the attacks. The Armenian Ministry of Defense confirms that Azerbaijan instilled violence in the Kharabakhian town of at 8:10 AM GMT+4. The Azerbaijani government claims that on the same day, at 6:00 AM GMT+4, Armenian forces

4 began to strike Azeri settlements, thus reasoning their attacks on Stepanakert as a retaliation of Armenian attacks.

This day has been succeeded with a few days of violent clashes between the military of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It’s also worth mentioning that Azerbaijani President presented an ultimatum to Armenian troops while obeying the Geneva Convention and the International Humanitarian Law.

The conference for the United Nations Security Council is set to commence on 30 September 2020. There haven’t been any territorial changes yet; the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact remains geographically the same. However, various military engagements are taking place in towns across Nagorno-Karabakh.

History of the Committee:

The United Nations Security Council is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, and has the primary goal of maintaining peace and security worldwide. The Security Council was founded on October 24, 1945. The Security Council was composed of 11 members, five of which were permanent. The five permanent members used to be the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the French Republic.

Among the permanent members, the People’s Republic of China replaced the Republic of China in 1971 under the United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 2758. In the late 1980s, peacekeeping operations grew in massive amounts, and countries such as Somalia, Angola and Liberia were largely benefitted. However, as these operations showed success, there were still a lot of doubts about whether the Security Council was really effective, shown in the failures in missions in Rwanda and Bosnia & Herzegovina. During this period, the Russian Federation succeeded the Soviet Union’s place in the UNSC as one of the five permanent members.

The Security Council’s voting procedure is stated in Article 27 of the UN charter and Rule 40 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure. Article 27 states that “decisions of the Security Council are made by an affirmative vote of nine members, whereas each member has one vote”. However, votes of the permanent members are required to adopt the decisions taken during the session. Besides this rule, Article 30 of the UN charter stipulates that the Security Council should adopt its own rules. The Provisional Rules of Procedure are divided in 11 chapters and an appendix. Each of the chapters reveal different aspects important to the procedures of the Security Council, and are essential to proceed with a concrete resolution.

5 The Security Council’s directives & resolutions are crucial because, as specified under Chapter V of the UN Charter, an approved resolution can condemn an action carried out by any UN member state. It is also the only organ which has control over the UN peacekeeping forces, and can authorize the use of force through blockades. Finally, it allows collective military action between member states in order to resolve any dispute or problematic event. Under Article 25 of the Charter, all UN committees and organizations are obliged to accept and proceed with the verdicts of the Security Council. Even if other organs of the UN are allowed to suggest other UN organizations to take certain actions, the Council has the ability to command them to carry out their decisions.

History of the Conflict:

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War was derived from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, an ethnic and territorial dispute between landlocked Armenia and caucasian Azerbaijan which initially originated in the early 20th century. The region had been previously occupied by renowned empires in history, including the Kingdom of Armenia (189BC - 387AD), the Seljuk Empire (11th c.), the Tatars and Mongols (13th c.), the Persian Dynasties (16th c. - 1813) and the (1813 - 1921). The region was formerly called Artsakh and adopted the name of Karabakh from Turkic nomads which migrated into the region.

First Clashes between and (1905 - 1907):

During the first in February 1905, clashes between Armenians and Caucasian Tatars — which were residing in lands currently governed by Azerbaijan — commenced. These clashes are known as the Armenian-Tatar massacres. The first and deadliest clash took place in the city of . According to Dutch historian Gerard Van Der Leeuw, the conflict started after a Tatar schoolboy and a shopkeeper were killed by Armenians. Other historians such as Hrach‘ Tasnapetean, Luigi Villari and Christopher J. Walker argued that Tatars initiated the conflict by killing numerous unarmed Armenians.

Polish historian Tadeusz Swietochowski confirmed that 128 Armenian and 158 Caucasian Tatar villages were left in shatters, while a total of 3,000 - 10,000 lives were lost in these deadly massacres.

Armenian-Azerbaijani War (1918 - 1920):

The second Russian revolution on October 17, 1917, foresaw the creation of two separate councils: the National Council of Baku (led by ethnic-Armenian Marxist Stepan Shaumian with assistance from the newly formed Russian ) and the Azerbaijani National Council (created by the Muslim National Councils). In 1918, both councils regained unofficial autonomy from

6 war-torn Russia and named themselves the Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic respectively.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani War began after ethnic and religious tensions between both states grew uncontrollably. The Bolsheviks (a Russian Marxist faction led by ) and their allies blamed the Azerbaijani political parties of Muzavat and Ittihad for promoting Pan-Turkism and assisted Armenian Dashnak forces in massacring around 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims in Baku between March 30 and April 2 1918. In Ganja, various clashes between the Ottoman Caucasian Army of Islam and the Dashnak-Bolshevik coalition occurred. Despite the opposition expressed by leaders of Karabakh, Azerbaijan made several efforts to incorporate the region into its sovereignty. After the withdrawal of Ottoman troops from the region on October 31, 1918, the United Kingdom took control over . Britain was determined to incorporate Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan to limit the Sovietization of the region and commence relations between Transcaucasia and the West. On January 15, 1919, Azerbaijan laid an ultimatum to the National Council of Karabakh (NCK) to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as a province in Azerbaijan for once and for all.

The ultimatum was rejected by Karabakh. Nevertheless, Britain still supported Azerbaijan. Thus, the NCK allowed itself to be annexed by Azerbaijan only if its troops wouldn’t enter the region without the council’s permission.

This agreement was consistently violated by both parties. The Azerbaijani army was engaged in homicides, rapes and cattle theft. Similarly, Armenian Karabakhians restrained themselves from treating Azerbaijani nomads humanely. These turn of events led to the 1920 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which commenced on March 22 when Armenian forces unexpectedly attacked the towns of Askeran and Khankendi. After a failed attempt to destroy the Azeri part of the town of , Azerbaijan immediately retaliated by burning the Armenian part of the city and massacring the population.

Nagorno-Karabakh under the Soviet Union (1921 - 1991):

On July 4, 1921, the Central Committee of Russian Communist Party decided to integrate Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. The next day, after Joseph Stalin took power over the party, the region was integrated into Azerbaijan SSR. He established the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) in 1923, one year after the formation of the USSR. The Soviet Era has seen Karabakh Armenians facing various restrictions in their liberties. Azerbaijan pursued to de-Armenize Nagorno-Karabakh, which made Armenians assume that Baku’s plan consisted of expelling all of them from NKAO. On the other side, Azeris living in the oblast experienced discrimination and economic marginalization from Kharabakhians.

7 As the Soviet Union began to dissolve, authorities from NKAO held an unofficial referendum on February 20, 1988. Based on the results, they appealed to both Armenia SSR and Azerbaijan SSR to authorize the attachment of Karabakh to Armenia. This caused the beginning of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, where clashes commenced near the town of Askeran. In the town of Sumgait, a pogrom against Armenian residents took place, while Azerbaijanis in Spitak and Gugark were brutally attacked by Armenians. After years of Soviet negligence, the USSR intervened in mid-January 1990 and suppressed the Azerbaijani army’s brutal forces after Baku was left with almost no Armenians. These events led to a violent crackdown resulting in 122 Azeri deaths.

First Nagorno-Karabakh War after Soviet Dissolution (1991 - 1994):

An official referendum took place in December 1991 to decide the fate of NKAO, even if most Azerbaijanis boycotted it out of anger. Even if the results fell in favour of Armenians, NKAO was not one of the 15 republics of the USSR eligible to vote. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991, and the official independence of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, the war over Nagorno-Karabakh quickly escalated.

The newly formed Russian Federation started to illegally supply weapons to Armenia, while the nation received mercenaries from other countries in the CIS region. On the other hand, Azerbaijan recruited various Islamic mujahideen from and Iran. These clashes resulted in massive casualties, which instigated the Azerbaijani president, , to call for long ceasefires that were rejected by Armenia. The war ended with Armenia’s victory. Even if Nagorno-Karabakh was internationally viewed as Azerbaijani territory, Armenian forces were allowed to take military control over the region and establish the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

Sporadic Clashes after Ceasefire (1994 - 2020):

Since 1994, various minor clashes have occurred in NKR. In 2008, these clashes intensified in the town of Mardakert after a series of protests over the 2008 Armenian elections. Armenian sources claimed that Azerbaijan was taking advantage of Armenia’s internal unrest, while Azeri President Ilhan Aliyev denied them.

On February 18, 2010, an exchange of scattered gunfires between Azerbaijani and Karabkahian Armenian forces materialized after the Azeris accused NKR of firing Azerbaijani camps.

The 2008 Mardakert clashes repeated twice in June and September 2010. On June 18, Azeri forces ambushed Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and killed four Armenians. The Armenian military retaliated by launching an attack on June 20 and killing one Azerbaijani serviceman. On September 1, as Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited

8 Azerbaijan, Karabakhian-Armenian forces launched an ambush near the Azeri town of Jarbad and killed 3-7 Azerbaijanis.

Between 2011 and 2019, clashes between Armenian NKR and Azerbaijan serially reiterated, killing over 485 soldiers and civilians.

Current Situation:

On July 12th 2020, clashes in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border started. There is still uncertainty regarding the origin of these clashes since both nations accuse the other of starting it. However, several nations gave their statement on the matter, such as Russia. The Prime Minister of Russia, Mikhail Mishustin, blamed Azerbaijan for the conflict and defended Armenia. Deaths from both sides were reported, including one civilian. High ranked officers from both sides were also reported dead.

This conflict was highlighted by the instability of the matter. For Azerbaijan, the conflict was already under control since they were resisting with artillery and making infantry troops stand down. The Azeris were seeing a significant reduction of attacks from Armenia, only to receive a barrage of attacks hours later. Artillery was used by both sides, with Azerbaijan reporting artillery attacks at village supply lines which put nearby civilians in danger. A cease-fire was announced on July 16th, but Azerbaijan reported that Armenian armed forces had violated the cease-fire several times.

Peace, at least by its definition, was not conceived totally. Both sides accused each other while politicians of many nations sided with either of the belligerents. Even though armed aggression reduced with time, cyber-attacks allowed the conflict to continue. For instance, Azerbaijan reported that 30 websites, including government-owned ones, were attacked by Armenian or foreign hackers.

Currently, reports inform several clashes around the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact since September 27th, as it was delimited at the end of the last major conflict in this area. The armed forces of both nations started mobilizing towards the Line of Contact. Armenia and the state of Artsakh are currently moving their totality of armed power, while Azerbaijan is moving only a part of their manpower. Civil liberties have been restricted within the nations in conflict, with measures including nation-wide curfews and martial law being enforced on civilians.

However, even though these measures are enforced to keep the civilian population outside of the conflict, some news agencies have informed the death of several dozens of people, including civilians, from both sides of the Line of Contact.

9 On September the 28th, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned Armenia’s participation in the conflict, calling it an act of aggression against Azerbaijan. On this same day, several Turkish political parties have condemned Armenia for attacking Azerbaijan. Some hours later, the Turkish lira dropped as tensions arose around the region. The UN envoy in Armenia has condemned the host country of the same things and the OIC have. Sometime later in the day, Armenia appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, asking for the ceasing of military movements from Azerbaijan towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is preaching for a cease-fire and the starting of a dialogue between both nations, while the Armenian parliament is now accusing Azerbaijan of an unmeasured military attack on Karabakh.

Rumours say that Turkey may have provided Azerbaijan with Syrian mercenaries to launch a disproportionate attack on Armenia and the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but Turkey has denied these allegations.

News reports indicate that heavy weaponry, such as artillery, and rockets are being used by both sides. Furthermore, drones are also being deployed by both sides, apparently to scout areas and even attacking enemy troops, maybe even civilians.

On September 28th, 6:50GMT, The President Of The United States, Donald Trump, stated that its nation’s interest is to ensure and secure peace in the regions where the conflict is taking place. He said “We have good relationships in that area. We’ll see if we can stop it.” On the other hand, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Joe Biden, has condemned Russia for providing weapons to almost every nation in the region and urged the Trump administration to do so as well and to seek diplomatic solutions to the conflict.

The next day, on September 29th, reports are similar to the day after. Clashes between Azeri and Armenian forces have been raging, especially with Azeri forces allegedly attacking Armenian forces far away from the zone of conflict, which is Nagorno-Karabakh. To this point, 10 Azeri civilians have been killed, according to the president of Azerbaijan. Germany has called for an immediate end to the conflict. They have been in contact with the leaders of both sides. France has urged the need for an international dialogue table among the nations in conflict. Russia has requested Turkey to work towards peace in the region and later called each leader to also ask them to hold their fire. However, both sides have stated dialogue is no longer an option. The Emir of Qatar has also been added to the list of leaders who have called the Azeri president asking for a ceasefire.

The United Nations Secretary-General has already called for peace and the cease-fire, but none of the belligerents has considered a cease-fire, and the worst might still be yet to come. That’s when the role of the United Nations Security Council comes into play.

10 Past Actions:

While the flaring 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War mainly involves Armenia and Azerbaijan, it is also important to understand the surrounding parties that have acted and reacted prior to the war, either directly or indirectly. The United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, France, Germany, Pakistan, and The European Union have all had their opinions, and some have even taken action.

United Nations Security Council:

The UNSC passed resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884 in the year 1993, during and based on the First Nagorno Karabakh War.

Resolution 822:

Co-sponsored by Pakistan and Turkey, this resolution called for an end to the hostilities, as well as a withdrawal of all Armenian forces within Kelbajar, Azerbaijan. It also encouraged both Azerbaijan and Armenia to continue negotiations, through the peace framework proposed by the OCSE Minsk Group.

Resolution 853:

This resolution recognized attacks and bombings from Armenia toward civilians in Azerbaijan. It demandeda stop to all hostilities, while also demanding access for international humanitarian relief efforts, in the affected regions.

Resolution 874:

The resolution called for Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan to follow the OSCE’s urgent proposals, relating to a withdrawal of forces from recently contested regions, and allowing unimpended and international aid in affected areas. It also called for an early meeting of the OSCE Minsk Conference.

In response to this resolution, Armenia agreed to it, Azerbaijan denied it, and the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities delayed an answer.

Resolution 884:

Called for the withdrawal of forces, in Zangilan, Azerbaijan. It also called for a withdrawal of forces in recently occupied areas in Azerbaijani territory. It also encouraged other states from not involving themselves in the recent fighting that broke out in the Azerbaijani-Iranian border.

11 United States of America:

The United States State Department confirmed contacting both Azerbaijani and Armenian governments, encouraging them to maintain direct communication links to avoid escalating the conflict. The US, while maintaining a neutral stance, has opted for peace through communication, instead of conflict.

“The United States believes participation in the escalating violence by external parties would be deeply unhelpful and only exacerbate regional tensions...” said a US statement on the issue.

Additionally, Donald Trump affirmed on September 27th that his administration team was “looking at the conflict very strongly”, while former vice-president Joe Biden expressed a stay out [of the conflict] warning to Turkey.

The Russian Federation:

While it is confirmed that, prior to the war, Russia has been trading weapons with Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Kremlin has expressed serious concern over the war and has called for peaceful talks between the belligerents.

Russia has also confirmed that talks between Russian President and Armenian Prime Minister have been held, as of September 27th 2020, with the Russian president asking for violent conflict to be limited.

Iran:

Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, has confirmed that Iran has been previously and will, again, monitor the conflict. While doing this, peace talks will be encouraged to both sides, as it has always been.

Iran has also made it clear that they are willing to offer resources from Tehran to stop the conflict peacefully. This means that both sides have the option to solve this conflict diplomatically under Iranian supervision.

Turkey:

Turkey, prior to the war, had already established great relations with the Azerbaijani Government. By being one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence, by helping the nation protect its territorial integrity, and by supporting its economic potential in the , both countries have become strong allies.

12 Other than denying accusations of hiring Syrian mercenaries to instigate conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, Turkey has made it clear that they will offer their full support to Azerbaijan, with a tweet from Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman of the Turkish President, saying:

It stands clear that the Republic of Turkey has supported Azerbaijan since long before the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war.

OCSE Minsk Group:

Created on the 24th of March 1992, The OCSE Minsk group looks for peaceful and negotiated solutions to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Its permanent members are Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, with co-chairs Igor Popov from the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti from the French Republic, and Andrew Schofer from the United States of America.

In this instance, it has called for an immediate ceasefire from both sides. The French and Russian co-chairs have enforced looking for a peaceful solution through mediated talks.

Bloc Positions:

Pro-Armenia:

These nations are fighting alongside Armenia, but not necessarily on the battlefield. Russia is the biggest actor in this bloc, as they provide strong arms supplies to Armenia. Other nations such as Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have been accused of selling weapons, but they have denied these claims. Furthermore, mercenaries from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are fighting alongside Armenia according to Human Rights Watch.

Neutral:

Many nations, especially in the West, are remaining neutral in the conflict, as they have several economic interests with the nations involved. One big example is the United States, which has remained somewhat neutral in the conflict, preaching to a cease-fire and peace in the area. This would not change with the transition to Joe Biden’s administration. The message neutral nations give is not that both countries in the conflict are right or wrong, their message is of peace and security, guiding themselves by the standards of several international organizations or their own national policy. As they are neutral, they are free to condemn any act of any of the nations involved. However, the number of nations in this category might change with time, or even during the committee.

13 Pro-Azerbaijan:

While the United States preaches for peace, this same country has given significant economic and humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan in the past. Even though members of the Trump administration, as well as analysts, say that this is to put pressure on Iran, the claims have been repeatedly challenged. This is because Azerbaijan is free to use the money somewhat freely in their own national interests. Several organizations such as the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, the Turkic Council, as well as nations such as Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus have stood with Azerbaijan in the conflict. A United Nations General Assembly was held in 2008 to vote resolution 62/243, which guaranteed Azerbaijan its national border’s integrity. Most Muslim states approved it, and several non-muslim states did as well, except France, India, Russia, the United States, Armenia, Angola and Vanuatu.

For clarity’s sake, the Republic of Turkey will be present in the committee as an observer state. Take that into consideration for your research and diplomatic strategies.

Questions a Resolution Must Answer:

The following questions are to be considered when writing directives and draft resolutions:

1. Which preventive mechanisms should be applied in order to avoid escalating tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh? Which stance must the United Nations take on this issue?

2. How should Nagorno-Karabakh be distributed between Armenia and Azerbaijan? Should it still be recognized as part of Azerbaijan? Should a referendum be held to decide the control of Nagorno-Karabakh?

3. Would it be convenient for the United Nations Security Council to intervene with UN Peacekeepers? If yes, how and why?

4. How should the United Nations Security Council act upon accusations of Syrian mercenaries being supplied to Azerbaijan from Turkey? How should the Security Council act upon the weapon trades from Russia to Armenia and Azerbaijan?

5. In preparation for possible refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), how should the United Nations Security Council act upon the safety and wellbeing of civilians within Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan?

6. If a ceasefire were to be implemented again, how would the United Nations Security Council ensure that said ceasefire would not be violated? Would it be a valid, long-term solution that both Armenia and Azerbaijan accept the ceasefire?

14 7. Who should be held responsible for causing the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War? Is there a reason why? How should the person, group, or country responsible compensate for initiating this war?

Suggestions for further research:

The study guide offers an extensive and unbiased perspective of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. However, it does not include every detail of the topic. The next step you ought to take is to investigate on your own, guiding yourself by the points tackled in this document.

Some suggestions for further research include:

- Using web pages from international organizations and organs such as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and other trustworthy news agencies of your choice. - Quoting or referencing past resolutions, treaties or agreements found on these websites on your position papers and during the committee. - Quoting or referencing important figures or statements from your country that are relevant without decontextualizing them. - Avoiding using easily manipulated sources (such as Wikipedia) for important reference. Use them to understand the issue broadly. These will NOT be allowed as cited sources in your position paper. - Avoiding basing your policy solely on news reports. Use resolutions and official documents when investigating. - Using more academic search engines, such as Google Scholar. - Knowing more about the nations you are representing. We highly suggest web pages such as The CIA Factbook, which gives an overview of the population, economy and international relations of all nations. - Asking the chairs, via their email, any questions about the topic without hesitation in order for us to reply and guide you adequately.

Position Paper Guidelines:

A position paper is a document that outlines the position of a nation in the committee. We encourage delegates to use the following format when drafting their position paper:

- Font - Times New Roman. - Font Size - 11 pts. - Line Spacing - 1.15 lines. - Margins - 1-inch from all extremities. - Pages - 1 page to 1.5 pages: - The bibliography won’t be included in the page count. - Bibliography - MLA8 Format: - If a citation machine is used, please cite it.

15 We expect delegates to include the name of the Delegate, Educational Institute, Country, Committee and Topic in the respective order. Additionally, quotes, flags, and borders within position papers will be accepted. We highly discourage watermarks in the background to avoid readability issues.

Any position paper that does not include a bibliography will be instantly considered as a plagiarized work and will be ruled out, meaning that the delegate(s) will not be eligible for an award. Furthermore, we highly recommend delivering position papers as a PDF file to avoid any compatibility issues when opening documents. Lastly, it is required that delegates submit their position papers to be eligible for an award.

Position papers are to be delivered before 11:59pm on the 10th of April, 2021, to the email [email protected].

Disclaimer on Committee Dynamics:

This committee won’t feature working papers. Thus, when proposing solutions, it is highly recommended for delegates to pass directives. Besides, directives and press releases are allowed in this committee. Directives, draft resolutions and press releases shall be subject to amendments if the delegates chose to introduce them. Directives and draft resolutions will also be subject to veto power by any of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Thus, the dais highly suggests delegations to fully consider their policies when agreeing, opposing or abstaining a directive. The five permanent members are encouraged to abstain from a directive if the delegation does not agree, nevertheless, the option to veto a directive is still present and should be utilized wisely.

We suggest delegates choose wisely which solutions to propose as directives and which to incorporate into a draft resolution. The dais highly suggests delegates propose short-term solutions when drafting directives, and long-term solutions when drafting resolutions.

Closing Remarks:

It’s crucial to bear in mind that your success in the committee will highly depend on how well you prepare yourself beforehand, as this is one of the core aspects you will need to fulfil if you’re yearning for success in this committee. This topic is not one which can be easily discussed or one which can reach a consensus that all countries will agree on. Every delegate needs to be prepared to meet fierce opposition to their country’s beliefs and ideals. Having said this, it is not enough to read the study guide as this is a simplified overview of the matter and there are more aspects which you should explore when dealing with the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

At the end of the day, the most that we, like chairs, will be looking at, is your ability to cope with opposing beliefs and drive your country’s ideals to their fulfilment using feasible, original and grounded solutions.

16 Bibliography:

Kharatyan, Hranush. University of , Religion and the Secular State in Armenia, classic.iclrs.org/content/blurb/files/Armenia.pdf.

Reynolds, James. “Why Azerbaijan Is Closer to Israel than Iran.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Aug. 2012, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19063885.

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