One does not usually associate the Kurds with the Caucasus, and there is difficulty defining who is a Kurd. However, there are Kurdish minorities living several of the republics, and since glasnost many have been rediscovering their identity. Since the dismantling of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s, the political, economic and social situation in most parts of its territories have been fluid and unpredictable. There has been widespread economic hardship, and considerable political instability, and at times military or civil conflict in the Caucasian republics and elsewhere. The purpose of this brief paper is to raise awareness of the Kurdish minorities in these regions and of the issues that concern the Kurds living in these areas.
Maps provide a guide to the main relevant locations within the republics.
The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the Kurdish minorities in these regions and of the issues that concern the Kurds living in these areas. Special attention has been given to the Kurds caught in the conflict between the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno Karabagh.