In the beginning of the 19th century (after the signing of the treaties of Gulustan in 1813 and Turkmenchay in 1828 between Iran and Russia on the distribution of the Azerbaijani territories), Czarist Russia began to implement the plan of creating “an Armenian State” in order to create a buffer zone in the ancient Azerbaijani territories. Thinking about the contours of the future empire 300 years ago, the first Russian Emperor Peter I charged his messengers sent to the south: “It is necessary to lure them (the Armenians) to move to our territories for Russia to rely on.”

With this purpose, in the first half of the 19th century, about 300 000 Armenians were moved to Azerbaijani territories from Iran and Turkey and settled in the territories of Irevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Nakhchivan, Zengezur, Dereleyez, Ordubad, Vedibasar, Artashat and others.

Despite the arrival of the Armenians in the Azerbaijani territories, the native Azerbaijanis formed the majority of population there. For instance, in 1886 in the province of Zengezur of Genje out of 326 villages only 81 were the Armenian villages. In the province of Irevan 66 per cent of the population were Azerbaijanis and 34 percent – Armenians. In order to substantiate the idea that the Armenians formed the majority they began to pursue the policy of genocide against the Azerbaijanis. The Armenians secretly were armed by Czarist Russia and formed military formations.

With assistance and support of the Russian Government the most intensive mass banishment of Azerbaijanis from the territories of current Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, violence over the civil population and brutalities were in the beginning of 20th century, especially in 1905-1907.

Thousands of villages in Azerbaijani provinces like Zengezur, Irevan, Nakhchivan, Ordubad, Gazax and Karabakh were burned and all the population the children to the old were killed.

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