Encyclopedia >> Encyclopedia of Armenian History >> Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO)

 The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). From July 7, 1923 till September 2, 1991 was an autonomous oblast within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR. The territory is 4,4 thousand square km. It includes the administrative regions of Askeran, Hadrut, Martakert, Martuni and Shushi. It had 2 cities, 7 towns. Stepanakert was the Centre of the Oblast. 

It was compiled by the decision of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) on July 5, 1921 and by the decree of Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan SSR on “the Establishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast” on July 7, 1923. Till 1936 it was called Autonomous Oblast of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan SSR broke the decision of Caucasian Bureau on “establishing an autonomous oblast from the Armenian sector of Nagorno Karabakh” and didn’t include the southern (Kubatlu, Zangelan, Fizuli, Jabrail), the western (Lachin, Kelbajar), the central (Khanlar, Shahumyan) and the northern (Dashkesan, Getabek, Shamkhor) regions of NK, where the majority of the population were Armenians.  

In 1986, Azerbaijan SSR adopted a resolution on "Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast", which reflected the characteristic features of NKAO statehood in the USSR  national-state structure system. The resolution stated that Karabakh's status is determined by the Constitution of the USSR and the "the territory of the Autonomous oblast cannot be altered without the consent of the Board of deputies of NKAO”.  On January 7, 1992 Azerbaijan SSR adopted a resolution on "the annulment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast " (Baku dated 23.11.1991). The resolution was illegal as the Republic of Azerbaijan wasn’t the successor of Azerbaijan SSR and had nothing to do with Nagorno Karabakh. In addition, the independence of Nagorno Karabakh was declared on September 2, 1991 by the unification of Shahumyan region and NKAO before the publication of the resolution. 


Source-Encyclopedia "Karabakh Liberation War 1888-1994", Yerevan, 2004.

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