A week after the successful attack by Azerbaijan and after 30 years of conflict, the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh announced today its self-dissolution as well as the dissolution of all its institutions from January 1, 2024.

In a decree of the leader of the enclave, Samvel Sahramanyan, the dissolution of “all government institutions and organizations (…) on January 1, 2024” is announced and it is stated that, as a result, “the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) ceases to be exists”.

The Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh has begun an exodus: some 65,000 people, half of the enclave’s roughly 120,000 inhabitants, have fled within days for fear of being targeted by Azerbaijan, despite Baku’s promises to respect their rights.

In the decree on the dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic, the separatist leader emphasizes that, once the terms of the return of the region to Azerbaijani control are known, residents and refugees will be able to “make an individual decision to stay or return to Nagorno Karabakh”.

Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh last week suffered a military defeat within 24 hours that forced them to capitulate to Azerbaijan, the country they seceded from when the USSR collapsed more than three decades ago.

Armenia, which supported this territory for decades, did not intervene militarily this time, paving the way for the reintegration of this region into Azerbaijan.