Difference between revisions of "About Armenia"

[[Armenia]] prides itself on being the first nation to formally [[adopt]] Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries [[Armenia]] came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of [[Armenia]], Ottoman [[Turkey]] instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in at least 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of [[Armenia]] was ceded by the Ottomans to [[Russia]] in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with [[Azerbaijan]] over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet [[Azerbaijan]] in the 1920s by Moscow. [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of [[Azerbaijan]] proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. [[Turkey]] closed the common border with [[Armenia]] in 1993 in support of [[Azerbaijan]] in its conflict with [[Armenia]] over control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, further hampering Armenian economic growth. In 2009, senior Armenian leaders began pursuing rapprochement with [[Turkey]], aiming to secure an opening of the border, but [[Turkey]] has not yet ratified the Protocols normalizing relations between the two countries. In September 2013, President SARGSIAN announced [[Armenia]] would join [[Russia]], [[Belarus]], and [[Kazakhstan]] as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.

[[Armenia]] prides itself on being the first nation to formally [[adopt]] Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries [[Armenia]] came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of [[Armenia]], Ottoman [[Turkey]] instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in at least 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of [[Armenia]] was ceded by the Ottomans to [[Russia]] in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with [[Azerbaijan]] over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet [[Azerbaijan]] in the 1920s by Moscow. [[Armenia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of [[Azerbaijan]] proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. [[Turkey]] closed the common border with [[Armenia]] in 1993 in support of [[Azerbaijan]] in its conflict with [[Armenia]] over control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, further hampering Armenian economic growth. In 2009, senior Armenian leaders began pursuing rapprochement with [[Turkey]], aiming to secure an opening of the border, but [[Turkey]] has not yet ratified the Protocols normalizing relations between the two countries. In September 2013, President SARGSIAN announced [[Armenia]] would join [[Russia]], [[Belarus]], and [[Kazakhstan]] as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.