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Bishkek Protocol is a peace treaty and provisional ceasefire agreement, signed primarily between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan on May 5, 1994 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The protocol, still in effect, terminated the Nagorno-Karabakh War and froze the issue. The only severe breach since then became 2008 Mardakert skirmishes.

The agreement

It is generally believed that in addition to ceasefire agreement itself, the protocol contains the following provisions:^[1]

• the granting of a wide-ranging autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh, while maintaining the sovereignty of Azerbaijan;^[2]
• measures that guarantee the security of Nagorno-Karabakh (meaning peacekeeping operations by the third-party parties, but there are no agreements about participants; Russia, especially, wanted to play the main role in the peacekeeping, but this is considered the worst scenario for Azerbaijan)^[2]
• the withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied territories in Azerbaijan;^[2]
• special status for the Lachin Corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, possibly coupled with similar measures between the mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan;^[2]
• arrangements between Azerbaijan and Armenia securing the return of the majority of refugees on both sides to their homes.^[2]

References

External links

• Protocol's unofficial translation