THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT AND THE ROLE OF EUROPEAN STATES IN ITS SETTLEMENT

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Transcaucasia, in the eastern part of the Armenian Highlands. It occupies the eastern and southeastern mountainous and foothill regions of the Lesser Caucasus. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh between Azerbaijan and Armenia began long before the collapse of the USSR and consists mainly in the unresolved territorial problems between the two aforementioned republics. Hence, during the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813, the modern territory of Nagorno-Karabakh was annexed by the Russian Empire. The article examines the history of the conflict. So, the author highlights the following stages of the conflict: 1) The Karabakh conflict in 1987-1991; 2) The First Karabakh War 1992-1994; 3) The interwar period 1994-2020; 4) The Second Karabakh War 2020; 5) The modern stage. At the same time, special attention is paid to the recent events in the framework of the confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which flared up with renewed vigor in the spring of 2021 and in the summer and autumn of 2022. The nature of the conflict itself is considered in historical retrospect, taking into account both the cultural and ethnic characteristics of the backgammon inhabiting it and the geopolitical realities, taking into account the strategic importance of the region in Transcaucasia. The article also draws attention to the role of European states in the settlement of the conflict at each stage.