Explainer What is the history of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

TBILISI - Armenia and Azerbaijan were locked in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for nearly four decades after the Soviet Union they were both members of collapsed.

Here is a look at the history of the conflict and the latest developments as Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said on Thursday that they had agreed the text of a peace agreement.

WHAT IS NAGORNO-KARABAKH?

Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh by Armenians, is a mountainous region at the southern end of the Karabakh mountain range, within Azerbaijan. It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but until 2023 its 100,000 inhabitants were predominantly ethnic Armenians.

Armenians, who are Christian, claim a long presence in the area, dating back to several centuries before Christ. Azerbaijan, whose inhabitants are mostly Turkic Muslims, also claims deep historical ties to the region, which over the centuries has come under the sway of Persians, Turks and Russians. Bloody conflict between the two peoples goes back more than a century.

Under the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the republic of Azerbaijan.

FIRST KARABAKH WAR

As the Soviet Union crumbled, the First Karabakh War (1988-1994) erupted between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. About 30,000 people were killed and more than a million displaced. Most of those were Azeris driven from their homes when the Armenian side ended up in control of Nagorno-Karabakh itself and swathes of seven surrounding districts.

44-DAY WAR IN 2020

In 2020, after decades of intermittent skirmishes, Azerbaijan began a military operation that became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. It won a resounding victory in 44 days, taking back the seven districts and about a third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.

The deal provided for 1,960 Russian peacekeepers to guard the territorys lifeline to Armenia: the road through the Lachin corridor, which Armenian forces no