Nagorno-Karabakh Legislature Votes to Secede from Azerbaijan
Regional council's historic decision to join Armenia deepens constitutional crisis in Soviet Union
STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh - In a move that further escalates the regional crisis, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast’s regional council voted overwhelmingly today to secede from Azerbaijan and unite with Armenia.
The vote, 110 in favor and 17 against, came during an extraordinary session attended primarily by ethnic Armenian deputies. Most Azerbaijani representatives boycotted the proceedings, denouncing them as illegal and unconstitutional.
“This is the will of our people, expressed through their legitimate representatives,” declared council chairman Arkady Manucharov. “We can no longer remain under Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction after the horrors of Sumgait.”
The decision marks the first attempt by a Soviet territorial unit to unilaterally change its status, creating an unprecedented constitutional challenge for Moscow. The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that borders between Soviet republics cannot be altered without mutual consent.
Outside the government building, thousands of Armenians celebrated with flags and songs, while the region’s Azerbaijani minority expressed alarm. “This is our land too,” said Rafiq Aliyev, a collective farm director from the Agdam district. “Where are we supposed to go?”
Azerbaijan’s Supreme Soviet immediately declared the vote null and void. “This is an illegal act of separatism that violates the USSR Constitution,” stated Azerbaijan Communist Party First Secretary Abdurrahman Vezirov. “Nagorno-Karabakh is and will remain an integral part of Azerbaijan.”
The vote follows months of strikes, demonstrations, and ethnic violence that have paralyzed the region. Industrial production has virtually ceased, and tens of thousands have participated in rallies demanding unification with Armenia.
Moscow faces an impossible dilemma: recognizing the vote would set a precedent for territorial changes throughout the ethnically diverse Soviet Union, while rejection risks further radicalizing the Armenian national movement.
As Soviet troops maintain an uneasy peace in the region, both Armenia and Azerbaijan have begun organizing self-defense units, raising fears of wider conflict. The Nagorno-Karabakh question has evolved from a local dispute into a fundamental challenge to the Soviet system itself.