If we recall the events of 1991, we will see how desperate Artsakh was. Together with the Soviet troops, the Azeri riot squad (OMON) carried out the the operation Koltso (Ring). After that people needed something to get out of the situation, historian Edik Minasyan said today.

“It was natural that the people of Artsakh could only rely on themselves and they decided to build their own history. However, conditions for this were created only after August 30, 1991, when Azerbaijan decided to sign a declaration of independence. Azerbaijan proclaimed itself an independent republic, but not a successor of the Soviet Azerbaijan but that of Musavat Azerbaijan [ Musavat (Equality) is the oldest existing political party in Azerbaijan], which meant that Artsakh and Nakhichevan couldn’t be part of the country, since they were not part of Azerbaijan in 1918-1920,” the historian said.