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High and jagged mountains, covered with dark green forests, stretch as long as the sight can afford to follow them, hiding a country that does not exist. This is how Pablo Garrigós Cucarella, a Spanish photographer, describes Artsakh in his photo report “Unrecognized lives in Nagorno Karabakh,” published on the website of the newspaper Diagonal.

The republic with 11 thousand square km area and 140 thousand population struggles so that the international community finally places it on the maps. The struggle started in 1988 with Nagorno Karabakh requesting the USSR to join it with Armenia. It got a “no” in response and heavy repressions by Azerbaijan, to which it officially belonged, the author writes. In 1991, when the USSR collapsed, all the Soviet republics reclaimed independence, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. Situated between the two countries, Nagorno Karabakh held a referendum for self-determination on 10 December 1991 under the USSR laws. As a result, a war broke out between the Armenians and Azerbaijanis, which ended in a cease-fire in 1994. The conflict, however, remains in a frozen state so far, the photographer highlights. Since then, the country lives within borders closed by Azerbaijan and Iran. The only way to get there is a 7-hour road from Armenia.  “In this status quo, the republic recently celebrated its sixth parliamentary elections, where seven political parties participated. It had an objective to demonstrate its will to join the club of international democracies,” the author writes.

Related:

International observers: Parliamentary elections proved that population of NKR needs to have right to self-determination 

British political scientist: Parliamentary elections in Nagorno Karabakh show that it is more democratic than Azerbaijan 

Canadian publication: Republic of Nagorno Karabakh won Azerbaijan in war for independence