Nagorno-Karabakh problem should result in strong regional alliance (original) (raw)

The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan also lends its name to an interminable problem between the two countries which date back to the beginning of the 20th century. The Nagorno-Karabakh dispute that resurfaced as the cold war faded, has been escalating since the disintegration of the USSR. In 1992, shortly after Azerbaijan and Armenia gained their independence, this problem drove the two countries into a conflict. Twenty thousand people lost their lives in a war that lasted until the tentative ceasefire agreement was made in 1994. During that period 1.5 million people had to abandon their homes. Since the issue has not yet been resolved by a peace treaty and only the mentioned ceasefire has been in force until now, the two countries are still technically and officially at war.