Azerbaijani researcher’s book about Karabakh conflict published in France

"Nagorno Karabakh conflict, just peace or inevitable war: historical, geopolitical and legal outlook", a book by Fazil Zeynalov, professor of the international law department of the Baku State University and researcher of the Strategic Research Center, was published in French editions "L’Harmattan" collection "Diplomacy and Strategy".

This is first book in France based on objective research concerning the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Multiple sources, including ancient and contemporary sources in French, English, Russian, Turkish and Azerbaijani were used in writing of this 452-page book. All aspects – historical, geopolitical and legal - of the conflict were covered in the book. The author invites the sides to peace considering the just peace as an only solution for future development of the region.

He researched the ancient history of Nagorno Karabakh in details using the ancient Albanian and Middle Age historic sources, works of the Russian Orientalists of the 19-20th centuries and prominent Azerbaijani historians. The book shows that "Artsakh" (Karabakh), a province of the Caucasian Albania, is an integral part of Azerbaijan and its armenization is not objective. Referring to the reliable sources, the author shows that local population of "Artsakh" was Caucasian Albans.

Later ethnic balance was changed in favor of Armenians and formed as a result of resettlement policy conducted for the strengthening of regional strongholds of the Russian empire in the beginning of the 19th century. Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived in atmosphere of mutual understanding long time, but ethnic confrontation inflamed between them as a result of this policy. Conflicts between these peoples in 1905 and 1918 were based just on these factors.

The author analyzed arguments of the parties to the conflict in details and from the legal and historical aspects. The contexts of accepting the conditions of living within Azerbaijan by the Armenians on August 15, 1919 and giving autonomous status to Nagorno Karabakh within the Azerbaijan Soviet Republic on July 5, 1921 were also widely analyzed. The author researched the processes after 1991 from the political and legal views and analyzed the inter-state character of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and separatist tendencies of the Armenian ethnic minority in Nagorno Karabakh.

The book widely covers the peace process and describes the solution to the conflict on the basis of compromise between the sides and principles and norms of the international law as a necessity. The book is translated into English and Russian.


/APA/