According to the decision of the Caucasian Bureau of the Bolshevik Party (Russian Communist Party) Karabakh was included into Azerbaijan, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated in an  interview with Russia Today.

“Of course, people of Nagorno-Karabakh opposed this decision. However, the leaders of the Soviet state said  there are no borders between nations, but only territorial-administrative borders, as we all live in one state,” the minister said.

Edward Nalbandian stressed when the Soviet Union collapsed, a national referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh and 99.89% of Karabakhi people voted for independence. On November 26, 1991, Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan adopted the resolution on dissolution of Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous oblast, according to which NKAO was liquidated as national-territorial formation. On November 28, USSR Committee of Constitutional control issued a decree, condemning the act of Azerbaijan legislative body on dissolution of NKAO as violating the status of NKAO.

“Two weeks later, 99, 89% of the participants voted for the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh in a national referendum. The vote showed not just majority, but nearly the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh voted for independence. In response, Azerbaijan launched large-scale military operations and perpetrated ethnic cleansings in Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenian-populated settlements of Azerbaijan, unleashing an aggression against Karabakh,” the Minister recalled.