Yearbook 1996
Azerbaijan. President Gejdar Alijev on July 19 accused the country’s government of corruption and failed economic policy. According to him, the corruption was so widespread that the important oil industry had difficulty attracting foreign investors. Prime Minister Fuad Kulijev resigned shortly thereafter, along with the Deputy Prime Minister and several other ministers and senior officials. Artur Rasizade was appointed new Prime Minister in November.
The Christian breaker club Nagorno-Karabach went to his first general presidential election in November. The election was seen as an important part of the struggle for independence. Large demonstrations against the elections were held in Azerbaijan, and both the United States and the Russian Federation warned of the negative consequences of the election. War hero Robert Kotjarjan got 85% of the vote and was elected president. The conflict between Azerbaijan. and Armenia on the affiliation of the enclave remained unresolved during the year. Armenia claims the enclave because many Armenians live in the area. When the OSCE European Security Council held a summit in Lisbon in December, the representatives of the 54 assembled states could not agree on a joint statement on the conflict.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: What does AZ stand for? In the field of geography, this two letter acronym means Azerbaijan. Check this to see its other meanings in English and other 35 languages.
Nagorno-Karabakh
In 2011 and 2012, a new potential concern arose when the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities reopened the Stepanakert airport, which has not been operational since the war. The Azerbaijani government threatened to shoot down planes that are traveling without permission through what it regards as Azerbaijan airspace, and even internationally, the planned air traffic was seen as a provocation. Until now, traffic did not start, citing a lack of safety equipment.
A new parliamentary election was held in May 2015. The leading parties retain their positions, but for the first time, two parties described as the opposition barrier of five percent: the Movement 88 and National rebirth. As before, the elections were judged by Azerbaijan and the EU.
In the beginning of April 2016, the hardest fighting broke out since the war in practice ended in 1994. During the month, at least 100 people were killed despite the termination of a fire agreement after four days of fighting. Azerbaijan is said to have occupied several small areas along the front line, which until then had been controlled by the outbreak state.
In the following months, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met three times, including through Russian mediation, and agreed to try to stabilize conditions along the front line. No significant improvement in the situation was noticed.
In February 2017, a referendum was conducted which resulted in the strengthening of the president’s power, which was mainly said to give the opportunity for faster decisions in crisis situations. In addition, it was decided to officially change the name of the outbreak state to the Republic of Artsach, which was interpreted as claiming in a larger area than was originally granted to the autonomous Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. The referendum was condemned internationally, and the days afterwards, new fighting broke out with the Azerbaijani army.
In July 2017, Parliament elected Sahakyan as president for a third term in accordance with the new constitution. his new term extends to the general elections scheduled for 2020.
Read more in Armenia: Foreign Policy and Defense and Azerbaijan: Foreign Policy and Defense.
Nagorno-Karabakh Economy
Agriculture is the traditional industry in Nagorno-Karabakh. All goods are imported from Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh receives significant assistance from Armenians in the western world, directly or through Armenia.
Population 1996
According to Countryaah.com, the population of Azerbaijan in 1996 was 7,775,313, ranking number 86 in the world. The population growth rate was 1.430% yearly, and the population density was 94.0674 people per km2.
