In September 2023, Azerbaijan retook the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan, until recently much of it was under Armenian control as the Republic of Artsakh.
Armenia had captured the territory during a war in the early 1990s. After Azerbaijan’s recapture of the enclave, most of its Armenian-majority population fled, and are now living in Armenia.
In this latest instalment of BBC ALBA’s European current affairs programme Eòrpa, Annabel Maclennan meets several of those displaced, as well as representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments who are currently involved in talks to formally set their respective borders.
Scottish Government External Affairs Secretary, Angus Robertson MSP, also sheds lights on Scotland’s connection to this decades-old conflict. Mr Robertson facilitated talks in Edinburgh and Moray between the two sides in 2003, and sees a role for Scotland in helping resolve tensions today.
He said: “If it comes to the Scottish Government which can help in the hosting of events, academics and experts who could share their expertise, and NGOs who have expertise on the ground in different parts of the world and have been involved in peace and reconciliation processes elsewhere.
“If we recognise that we have all of these resources here, these are things that we can offer to places like the South Causasus. So when the time is right for them, if they want, it’s up to them. If they want to come here, they would be very welcome.”
Viktorya Balayan’s husband, Sevak, was killed when defending Nagorno-Karabakh. She was left to tell her daughter, Maria (six), that her father would not be coming home. She said: “I sat her and explained to her that Sevak had died and he is a star now, and he will always be with her, he sees her from the above and is very proud of her.
“One time we noticed that Maria couldn’t be found anywhere. We found her on the balcony, speaking to the stars: “Mom, look, Dad is the biggest star.”, I said, “Yes, he is the biggest star.”
Elin Suleymanov is Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He says those who fled Nagorno-Karabakh are welcome to return: “Of course, anybody who can come, who wants to come back, can come back.
“But they need to prove that if they want to be citizens of Azerbaijan.”
Reporter Annabel Maclennan reflects on her time covering this issue, on those she met, and why what happens in Nagorno Karabakh and the Southern Caucasus matters.
She comments: “The tragic human stories and powerful testimonies we heard in Armenia left me in no doubt that this is a situation to which we should be paying attention.
“That, coupled with the current situation in neighbouring Georgia, as well as the wider geo-political situation of the Southern Caucasus, bordering Russia, Turkey and Iran, highlights the significance of this conflict and the importance of peace in the region.”
Eòrpa is BBC ALBA’s flagship current affairs programme, covering a range of domestic and European stories, ranging from the impact of fires and flooding in Greece, to gender-based violence in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
The new series of Eòrpa will premiere on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer weekly, on Wednesday evenings at 9pm (in Gaelic with English subtitles).
Watch live or on demand: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mvwb