Republic of Artsakh / Արցախի Հանրապետություն / Artsakhi Hanrapetut'yun

Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետություն, Artsakhi Hanrapetut'yun) or the Nagorno-Karabakh is a breakaway de facto state in the South Caucasus that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The region is currently populated mostly by Armenians and the primary spoken language is Armenian. Artsakh controls most of the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and some of the surrounding area, giving it a border with Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. Its capital is Stepanakert.

The predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed by both the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia when both countries became independent in 1918 after the fall of the Russian Empire, and a brief war over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1920. The dispute was largely shelved after the Soviet Union established control over the area and created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923. During the fall of the Soviet Union, the region re-emerged as a source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1991, a referendum held in the NKAO and the neighbouring Shahumian region resulted in a declaration of independence based on its right of self-determination. A large-scale ethnic conflict led to the 1991–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended with a ceasefire.

The country is very mountainous, averaging 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) above sea level. The population is overwhelmingly Christian, most being affiliated with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Several historical monasteries are popular with tourists, mostly from the Armenian diaspora, as most travel can take place only between Armenia and Artsakh.

The Artsakh Republic is mountainous, a feature which has given it its former name (from the Russian for "Mountainous/Highland Karabakh"). It is 11,500 km² (4,440 sq mi) in area, bordering Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. The highest peaks in the country are Mount Mrav at 3,340 metres (10,958 ft), and Mount Kirs at 2,725 metres (8,940 ft). The largest water body is the Sarsang reservoir, and the major rivers are the Terter and Khachen rivers. The country is on a plateau which slopes downwards towards the east and southeast, with the average altitude being 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level. Most rivers in the country flow towards the Artsakh Valley

Cover with the newly issued stamps with the new name, Artsakh. Actually Artsakh is the historical name of NKR. The covers posted from Stepanakert post office on October 18, 2018 and I received on November 13, 2018.

 These two covers are my latest addition from the partially recognized country called Nagorno karabakh Republic. The covers sent by my good friend Sergey, who was the stamp designer of Nagorno Karabakh in 2000. 

This is a rare country for philatelists because of its limited recongnition and relationship with foreign countries. But my good friend Serg, who is the first designer of NKR stamps helps philatelists by sending mint stamps, envelopes etc. I designed an airmail label for NKR, now which is being used as legal in NKR. Serg promoted the labels a lot and I am very happy in that. All letters are traveled via Armenia, The registered letters will have and extra Armenian barcode when they reach in Yerevan sorting center. Every year NKR issues beautiful thematic stamps. Even though this is not a UPU member country, there is no restriction for using Artsakh/NKR stamps for international letters.