Oct 7 (Reuters) - The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on Thursday to discuss breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh. A thaw in relations between Armenia and Azeri ally Turkey has coincided with an acceleration of diplomatic efforts to resolve the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians threw off Azeri rule in the early 1990s. Here is a brief profile of the region: HISTORY: The status of Nagorno-Karabakh has been disputed since 1918, when Armenia and Azerbaijan became independent from the Russian empire. Soviet rule was imposed in the south Caucasus in 1921, and predominantly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh became an autonomous region within the Azeri Soviet republic. In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities demanded to be transferred to the Armenian republic. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Nagorno-Karabakh -- in a referendum boycotted by most of the local Azeri population -- declared independence. WAR: Sporadic fighting between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azeris erupted in all-out war in 1991. Ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia, drove back Azeri forces and took control of seven districts of Azerbaijan adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. Some 30,000 people were killed and more than 1 million became refugees, the majority in Azerbaijan. A ceasefire was signed in 1994, but there are frequent violations. A warren of trenches and minefields, the frontline is monitored by a single representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and five field assistants. GEOGRAPHY, POPULATION: Statistics are disputed, but Nagorno-Karabakh is estimated to have a population of a little over 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Almost all Azeris fled during the war. The capital is Stepanakert. Renowned for its beauty, the mountain region is around 4,400 square km (1,760 miles) in area. It has its own political institutions, but is closely linked politically and economically to Armenia. Its declared independence has not been recognised by any state, including Armenia. NEGOTIATIONS: The OSCE's Minsk Group of U.S., French and Russian envoys is leading negotiations, with the pace picking up this year in a string of meetings between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarksyan. Diplomats say the basic outline of a peace deal is in place, but there are a number of outstanding issues, not least the political will to sell an agreement to their people. The peace deal would see an Armenian withdrawal from at least six of the seven districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, with special arrangements for the Lachin corridor that links the region to Armenia. International peacekeepers would be deployed and a popular vote held at an unspecified future date to determine the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. The vote might not come for years. TURKEY: Turkey and Armenia are pursuing rapprochement after almost a century of animosity stemming from the World War One mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. The neighbours have agreed accords on bilateral relations and opening their border, which Ankara closed in 1993 in solidarity with ally Azerbaijan. Turkey had previously ruled out opening the border until Armenia made concessions on the rebel territory. Armenia insists there is no link between the two issues, but analysts say Yerevan is coming under diplomatic pressure to make progress on Nagorno-Karabakh in parallel with the Turkish thaw. Sources: Reuters/ www.britannica.com (Writing by Matt Robinson)
A Nenets woman stands with reindeer on the Yamal peninsula, north of the polar circle, August 4, 2009. The Nenets tribespeople of Russia's frozen Yamal peninsula have survived the age of ...
