The Moscow and Kars Treaties, which proved fateful for Armenia and resulted in the seizure of strategically important territories from the Armenian people, have been widely discussed in recent decades, with particular emphasis on the injustice and illegality of these documents from the perspective of international law. Under these treaties, Nakhichevan was illegally placed under the protection of Azerbaijan, and Baku is currently taking unilateral steps to change the status of this autonomous republic, in violation of the Moscow and Kars Treaties still in force. The article examines Turkey’s diplomatic efforts to transfer Nakhichevan to Azerbaijan, which were based on the pan-Turkic goals of the Turkish authorities, as well as the consistent policy of the Azerbaijani authorities aimed at the de-Armenization of the autonomous republic. The domestic and foreign policy motives of the Azerbaijani authorities for changing the status of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic are also analyzed. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the illegality of the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities in unilaterally changing the status of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic from the standpoint of international treaty law, as well as to indicate the possible political and legal consequences of violating the provisions of the Moscow and Kars Treaties regarding the status of Nakhichevan.

KeywordsNakhichevan status of autonomous republic Moscow and Kars Treaties Armenia Azerbaijan Turkey Pan-Turanian project