Arménie : le sang des montagnes
Frédéric Tonolli
1995 - 52 min - Vidéo - Couleur - France

In both Armenian and Azerbaijani, Karabakh means "the black garden", 4,400 square kilometres of resplendent mountains to which both sides lay claim as their historic heartland. Karabakh soon fell victim to the upsurge in Armenian and Azeri nationalism.
First handed over to Azerbaijan by Stalin in 1921, the moutains of Upper Karabahk, 80 % of whose population is made up of Armenian peasants, unilaterally chose to become part of Armenia in 1988. This "provocation" was immediately followed by a pogrom against Armenian civilians living in Azerbaijan lasting three days. It was the beginning of a war for position which has lasted for six years. A cease-fire signed last year between the autonomous Republic of Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia brought the fighting to a halt.