28. In September 2023, which two neighboring countries were involved in a military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region?
From Quiz World Events in 2023
Answer:
Azerbaijan and Armenia
Most of the region (4400 sq km) is under the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, governed by ethnic Armenians, but the region is internationally a part of Azerbaijan.
About 120,000 ethnic Armenians who are Christians form the majority of the population living in this region. Historically, the people in this region (then part of the province of Artsakh) were confirmed by ancient Greek and Roman sources "long before our era" to be Armenian.
The Azerbaijanis are mostly Turkic Muslims with deep historical ties with this region for many centuries. For more than a century, there were many bloody conflicts between the two peoples.
Before the conflict in 2023, there were two major conflicts fought over the region: the first war from 1988 to 1994 and the second conflict in 2020 from September 27th to November 10th.
The 1994 Bishkek Protocol ended the first war, in which the Armenians made considerable territorial gains in addition to this region and also surrounding Azerbaijan districts.
On September 19th, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against the Republic of Artsakh backed by the Armenians. Azerbaijan claimed a swift victory and the local government was dissolved. More than 100,000 Armenians fled the region.