845: On the Road to Baku. 1/2 Armenia supported a separatist movement, then took 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory. Major General Hussein Mahmudov, @wwwmodgovaz
Image: Artsakh is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus supported by Armenia, whose territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Here: Martakert region Major General Hussein Mahmudov, @wwwmodgovaz, in Ministry of Defense, in re: All the hostilities, war activities, were on the territory of Azerbaijan. At the end of the USSR, Armenia declared independence, and then supported a separatist movement and took over Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s internal situation was complicated so we couldn't keep control. In 1992 and 1993, we lost territory. The first refugees we received were in 1998. In 1990, we faced armed forces. By 1992, we faced open war; Armenians killed 600 civilians, which was genocide. Next year, we lost Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions, about 20% of our territory, and we received a million refugees. Thereafter, every so often Armenia simply fired into Azerbaijan. In 1993, the UN Security Council called for unconditional withdrawal; and that went unimplemented for over 20 years. The Minsk Group directed its effort to maintaining the status quo, which was unacceptable from our side. Armenia used this time to build up its military, gaining 200 tanks and about the same in artillery pieces, although they gave false witness. We destroyed tanks, military vehicles, defense systems, artillery systems, and five SU-__ aircraft. For thirty years along the Line of Control, intermittent missiles lobbed from Armenia to kill Azerbaijani civilians. The new Armenian president unfortunately declared, “We have to move to active deterrence.”