Political Chronology

THE SOUTH CAUCASUS:
A CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF
KEY EVENTS SINCE INDEPENDENCE
1991-2004

Prepared by Richard Giragosian
Abt Associates, Inc.
Bethesda, Maryland

1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004

1991

AUGUST 1991

In the wake of a failed coup attempt in Moscow, the Azerbaijani government of President Ayaz Mutalibov, the former Communist Party leader, declares independence from the Soviet Union.

Following a national referendum on independence, the Georgian government of nationalist President Zviad Gamsakhurdia secures a parliamentary declaration affirming Georgia’s secession from the Soviet Union.

Former USSR Politburo member and KGB General Geidar Aliev returns to Azerbaijan and becomes parliamentary chairman in the Nakhichevan exclave.

A national referendum is held in Nagorno Karabakh in October confirming its declaration of independence from Azerbaijan. Hostilities escalate in Nagorno Karabakh, with Azerbaijani artillery shelling the Karabakh capital Stepanakert.

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 1991

Armenia formally declares independence after holding a national referendum on independence with 94 percent voting to secede from the Soviet Union. Armenian Parliamentary Chairman and leader of the Armenian National Movement (ANM) Levon Ter-Petrossian is elected president the following month with 83 percent of the vote.

NOVEMBER 1991

Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno Karabakh engage in heavy exchange of artillery fire targeting several districts in Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan completes blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Demonstrations by the nationalist Azerbaijani Popular Front erupt in Baku demanding the resignation of Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov.

DECEMBER 1991

Nagorno Karabakh Armenians vote for independence as Azerbaijani artillery attacks continue to target the Stepanakert capital.

Armenia and Azerbaijan formally join the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as the Soviet Union is formally dissolved.

1992

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia formally join the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

Nagorno Karabakh officially declares independence from Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani-populated city of Shushi is surrounded and shelled by Karabakh forces as the Russian 366th Motorized Rifle Division withdraws from Nagorno Karabakh.

After heated clashes in Tbilisi between government troops and opposition militia forces, nationalist Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia is forced from power and goes into exile.

The United States opens its first embassy in Armenia.

Armenian President Ter-Petrossian renounces any territorial claims on Nagorno Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Mutalibov resigns in March but is temporarily returned to power in May before finally being deposed and forced to flee to Russia by the nationalist Azerbaijani Popular Front, which installs Parliamentary Chairman Isa Gambarov as acting president.

Former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze returns to Georgia and forms a new governmental body, the State Council, in the wake of the removal of former President Gamsakhurdia.

In May, Nagorno Karabakh forces seize the city of Shushi and capture the Lachin district between Karabakh and Armenia proper.

Nationalist Azerbaijani Popular Front leader Abulfez Elchibey is elected president and forms the country's first non-communist government, with Acting President Isa Gambarov returning to his post of parliamentary chairman.

Azerbaijani forces launch a military counter-offensive targeting strategic Armenian positions and retaking much of the Mardakert district in Nagorno Karabakh.

Russian officials mediate a ceasefire agreement between Georgian and South Ossetian forces after nearly a year of fighting over South Ossetia’s attempt to unify with neighboring North Ossetia in the Russian Federation.

Fighting breaks out between Georgian troops and separatist forces in Abkhazia. The fighting triggers an exodus of ethnic Georgian refugees that continues for nearly two years.

Georgian State Council head Eduard Shevardnadze is elected as the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament.

Azerbaijani President Elchibey withdraws the country from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

1993

Nagorno Karabakh forces launch an offensive retaking nearly all Azerbaijani-held areas of Nagorno Karabakh. The offensive continues with Karabakh forces capturing additional territory in Azerbaijan proper, starting with Kelbajar and Agdam.

The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 822 calling for an immediate ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Karabakh forces from the Kelbajar district. The UN resolution is accompanied by the involvement of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which forms a small working group (the so-called "Minsk Group") empowered to manage CSCE mediation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan declares a unilateral ceasefire in May and Russian military units withdraw from the Azerbaijani city of Gandja.

After the resignation of Azerbaijani Parliament Chairman Isa Gambarov, President Elchibey invites Nakhichevan Parliamentary Chairman Geidar Aliyev to return to Baku. Aliyev is promptly elected as chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament. Rebel Colonel Surat Husseinov then launches a coup from his military base in Gandja and marches on Baku, overthrowing the Elchibey government. Deposed President Elchibey flees to his native Nakhichevan, and Aliyev appoints Husseinov Prime Minister. After Elchibey is formally deposed by a national referendum in August 1993, Aliyev is elected to a five-year term as President in October. The new Aliyev government then applies to rejoin the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

As hostilities escalate in Abkhazia, Georgian troops are driven from their positions in Abkhazia and several hundred thousand ethnic Georgians are forced to flee their homes for refuge in other parts of Georgia.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze negotiates with Russian officials and agrees to rejoin the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In turn, Russian forces assist Georgian troops in putting down an insurrection by supporters of former President Gamsakhurdia in Western Georgia.

Nagorno Karabakh forces expand their offensive southward toward the Azerbaijani-Iranian border seizing the Azerbaijani districts of Jebrail, Kubatli, Zangelan and Goradiz. In response, Iran and Turkey deploy military units along their borders and place their armed forces on a heightened state of alert. By October, Karabakh forces reach the Arax River and seize a 80-kilometer area along the border between Azerbaijan and Iran, triggering a massive refugee flight.

1994

Russia brokers an initial ceasefire agreement that is signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. The ceasefire freezes the line of contact between the parties but ends general hostilities. The ceasefire is made permanent in the summer of 1994 remains in place to this day.

A failed attempt to overthrow the Aliyev government in Azerbaijan results in the flight of Prime Minister Surat Husseinov to Russia and triggers the introduction of a national state of emergency by President Aliyev. The deputy chairman of the Azerbaijani parliament and the head of presidential security are killed in the failed coup attempt. The following month, President Aliyev successfully negotiates a multi-billion dollar "contract of the century" with a consortium of international energy companies for the exploration and development of Azerbaijan's offshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian Sea.

Georgian Parliamentary Chairman Eduard Shevardnadze is elected president in November.

1995

President Aliyev of Azerbaijan survives a coup attempt by a mutinous Interior Ministry police force that attacked a police station in Baku and seized buildings in several cities. A state of emergency is declared and government troops storm a facility north of Baku, crushing the rebel force and killing the alleged leader, Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Javadov.

An expanded bilateral security agreement is signed between Armenia and Russia, serving as the framework for the presence of Russian military bases in Armenia and providing training at Russian military academies for Armenian officers.

Armenia holds parliamentary elections and a new constitution is adopted by national referendum.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze survives an assassination attempt, prompting the U.S. to increase special training for the Georgian presidential security force.

A new Georgian constitution is adopted, reinstating a presidential form of government and establishing a strong executive branch and a unicameral 235-seat parliament. The constitutional status of the regions and republics in Georgia remains undetermined, stipulating an official clarification of their legal status only after the resolution of all internal conflicts.

Georgian President Shevardnadze consolidates his leadership after securing the recently reestablished post of president. A series of constitutional amendments are also adopted in a nationwide referendum.

Azerbaijani Interior Ministry forces foil two assassination attempts targeting President Aliyev during the run up to parliamentary elections. Former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov, who fled to Russia in 1992, is accused of organizing the assassination attempts.

1996

Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian is reelected to a second term as president, although the election is marred by allegations of electoral irregularities.

Presidential elections are held in Nagorno Karabakh, with incumbent leader Robert Kocharian securing reelection in a multi-candidate contest.

During the Lisbon summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, formerly CSCE), Azerbaijan introduces a resolution endorsing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, inviting an Armenian veto. The summit reaches a compromise by formulating the so-called "Lisbon Principles," whereby the issue is diffused by its inclusion in a downgraded "chairman's statement" that declares the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as the basis for a final settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

1997

The OSCE resolves to form a new troika to lead its working group on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the so-called "Minsk Group," with the United States, France and Russia serving as equal co-chairs.

The OSCE offers three successive plans to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The third, September proposal based on the "step-by-step" formula, calls on Karabakh to return all Azerbaijani territory outside of Nagorno Karabakh, except for Lachin, to be accompanied by the end of blockades, the demilitarization of freed territories and security guarantees and to be followed by the deployment of OSCE peacekeepers to ensure the return of refugees.The status of Karabakh and the future of Lachin would be negotiated in a second stage. The plan is accepted by Armenian President Ter-Petrossian but rejected by some in the Ter-Petrossian administration and the Nagorno Karabakh leadership.

The Armenian and Russian presidents sign a new bilateral treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance in Moscow.

The Armenian parliament ratifies an accord with Russia granting Moscow the right to maintain its military bases in Armenia for 25 years.

Azerbaijan begins the first exports of its "early oil" production from its "contract of the century" production contract. The exports utilize the recently renovated Baku-Novorossiisk oil pipeline.

1998

President Levon Ter-Petrossian of Armenia is forced to resign by members of his own administration who disagree with his acceptance of the September 1997 OSCE proposal on the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He is succeeded by Prime Minister Robert Kocharian in a special election in late March.

Presidential elections are held in Azerbaijan with incumbent President Aliyev securing another five-year term with over 76 percent of the vote. According to observers, the election is marred by serious irregularities.

The OSCE offers a revised peace plan for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, based on a "package" or comprehensive approach, that proposes a "common state" entity comprising Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan proper in a vague, new unitary sovereign entity to be defined in later negotiations.

Although both Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh are receptive to the common state plan, Azerbaijan eventually rejects it, criticizing it for contradicting Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

1999

A second main export pipeline between Baku and the Georgian Black Sea port of Supsa is inaugurated, allowing Azerbaijan to expand its oil export capacity.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev undergoes heart bypass surgery in the United States after attending the 50th anniversary of NATO in Washington DC. The surgery fuels speculation over his possible successor.

A small group of gunmen storm the Armenian Parliament building and assassinate Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Parliamentary Speaker Karen Demirchian, and six other government officials.

2000

President Eduard Shevardnadze is reelected to a second term in multiparty presidential elections.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian dismisses Prime Minister Aram Sarkisian and Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian, naming the head of the Republican Party of Armenia, Andranik Markarian, as his new prime minister.

A new 125-seat Azerbaijani parliament is elected with most seats held by the dominant pro-government "New Azerbaijan Party" but with some opposition candidates winning seats. The parliamentary election is certified as neither free nor fair by international election observers.

2001

The Council of Europe formally admits Armenia and Azerbaijan as full members.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Azerbaijani President Aliyev during a state visit to Baku and signs a new general agreement on bilateral relations, termed the "Baku Declaration," seeking to expand relations over the next ten years and including plans to develop strategic military cooperation.

Following the direct intervention of French President Jacques Chirac, the OSCE launches a new diplomatic initiative on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The so-called "Paris Principles," based on the "common state" peace plan, serves as the new basis for negotiations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.

The Paris meetings are followed by the convening of a closed summit in the United States by Secretary of State Colin Powell. The summit, called the Key West talks, break down after last minute hesitation by the Azerbaijani president, reflecting the difficulty faced by the Aliyev government in garnering the support of the Azerbaijani public.

Protesting the development of disputed offshore oil fields in the Caspian Sea, Iran deploys a naval warship into Azerbaijani territorial waters and dispatches two Iranian air force combat aircraft over the disputed oil fields. The Iranian naval warship threatens to fire on two commercial exploration vessels belonging to the international oil consortium led by the British Petroleum and Exxon/Mobil companies, leading to a suspension of all survey operations in the area.

The Iranian show of force spurs Azerbaijan to stage a two-day military exercise involving naval and infantry forces, the first of its kind for the Azerbaijani military, followed by a military air show staged in Baku by a small contingent of the Turkish Air Force.

The U.S. Congress adopts a measure to weaken the long standing restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan and makes it eligible for some $50 million in direct U.S. aid in recognition of Azerbaijan's "support for the U.S. campaign against international terrorism". The Freedom Support Act's Section 907 restrictions, initially enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1992, prohibited direct U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan until it lifted its trade and transport blockade of Armenia. The move grants the U.S. president much broader authority to waive the restrictions.

Azerbaijani security forces arrest a leader of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan at the Astara border crossing, situated at the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, on charges of engaging in espionage for Iran.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meets with President Aliyev in Baku and states that the pending waiver of restrictions on U.S. aid will allow for new military assistance to Azerbaijan.

2002

Azerbaijani President Aliyev meets with Russian President Putin in Moscow and signs a new agreement on the Russian military's use of the Gabala air defense facility in Azerbaijan with Moscow agreeing to pay Baku $7 million annually for ten years. The Gabala early warning radar station has the capability to monitor missile launches from the Middle East and Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. Russia is also to assist in the modernization of Azerbaijani weapon systems and train Azerbaijani military officers in an expanded program of military cooperation and technical assistance.

U.S. Special Forces initiate a new military project in Georgia. Named "Train and Equip," the $64 million project provides targeted tactical training and military equipment for elite Georgian brigades with an overarching focus on counter-terrorism and -proliferation capabilities.

Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Tatul Markarian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Araz Azimov meet in Prague for two meetings under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group. The meetings of the deputy foreign ministers, held in May and July, are in a new format to replace the previous summit meetings between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.

Nagorno Karabakh leader Arkady Gukasyan is reelected to a second five-year presidential term with 89 percent of the vote.

Georgian-Russian relations worsen after Russia threatens to intervene to counter Chechen rebels using Georgia's Pankisi Gorge as a staging area for attacks on Russian troops in Chechnya. Georgia eventually agrees to police the area and curb cross-border operations by Chechen rebel groups.

2003

Incumbent Armenian President Robert Kocharian is reelected to a second five-year term in a contentious two-round election that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) criticizes as falling short of international standards.

A new Armenian parliament is elected in May, with the ruling three-party pro-government coalition taking the majority of seats. This election is also criticized as flawed.

Armenia becomes a member of the World Trade Organization in February.

Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliyev issues a presidential decree appointing his son, Ilham Aliyev, as new Prime Minster. The appointment places Ilham Aliyev as next in line in terms of presidential succession.

The Armenian parliament adopts a new law abolishing capital punishment, as part of a broader effort to achieve legislative conformity with the conditions imposed from Council of Europe membership.

Azerbaijani Prime Minster Ilham Aliyev is elected as the country's new president, replacing his father. The election is criticized for not meeting international standards. Post-election violence erupts, with opposition protestors assaulted by police and hundreds arrested in Baku.

Georgia holds parliamentary elections marred by widespread irregularities and blatant incidents of fraud and intimidation. The elections spark a series of mounting mass demonstrations that escalate to such a degree that the opposition National Movement, led by popular reformer Mikhail Saakashvili, and the Zhvania/Burjanadze-Democrats storm the Georgian parliament and demand the resignation of the Shevardnadze government. The opposition forces succeed in pressuring President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign in what becomes known as the "Rose Revolution." Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze assumes the role of interim president.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meets in Baku with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiev to discuss expanding bilateral military cooperation.

An official government announcement confirms media reports that the 80-year old former President Geidar Aliyev has died of cardiac and kidney failure in the U.S. clinic.

2004

JANUARY 2004

The Georgian Supreme Court nullifies the results of the November 2003 parliamentary elections and schedules new elections for March. In the wake of the resignation of President Shevardnadze, opposition parties unite behind former Georgian Justice Minister and National Movement leader Mikhail Saakashvili as their candidate in a special presidential election. Saakashvili is then elected to a five-year term as president, with Interim President Burjanadze returning as Parliamentary Speaker and Zurab Zhvania as Prime Minister.

MARCH 2004

Newly elected Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili initiates bold campaign to restore central authority over the breakaway regions of Georgia.

Tension with the autocratic leader of the Autonomous Region of Ajaria mounts as Georgian officials attempt to restore central government control over tax revenue and commerce from the Ajarian port of Batumi.

The elections for a new Georgian parliament result in a sweeping victory for President Saakashvili’s National Movement-Democratic Front coalition, which gains a majority of seats.

APRIL 2004

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev appoints career diplomat Elmar Mammadyarov as his new Foreign Minister.

The new Azerbaijani foreign minister then meets Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian in Prague, opening a new round of bilateral talks on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The foreign ministers’ meeting is followed by a meeting between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, resuming a series of direct meetings carried out by President Kocharian and late Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliyev.

Attempting to replicate the recent Georgian “Rose Revolution,” Armenian opposition parties stage mass demonstrations calling on the Armenian president to resign. The Armenian authorities overreact, however, as uniformed arrest and assault a number of opposition activists and supporters. Deputies from the Armenian opposition parties begin a boycott of the parliament that continues to this day.

MAY 2004

As tension mounts between the Georgian government and local Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze, both Russia and the U.S. initiate a diplomatic effort to prevent the outbreak of open hostilities. The Ajarian leader is forced to resign in the face of an overwhelming Georgian military advantage and after losing the support of the small Ajarian population. The Georgian government incorporates Ajaria in its broader anti-corruption campaign and launches an effort to impose new democratic elections in Ajaria.

JUNE-AUGUST 2004

Emboldened by the victory in Ajaria, the Georgian government adopts a more aggressive and confrontational strategy in negotiations with the South Ossetian leadership, w

Political Chronology

THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: A CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF KEY EVENTS SINCE INDEPENDENCE 1991-2004

THE SOUTH CAUCASUS:
A CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF
KEY EVENTS SINCE INDEPENDENCE
1991-2004