YEREVAN, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - Azerbaijan's breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh is voting Sunday in a referendum on its constitution.
The conflict over Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely Armenian population, first erupted in 1988 when it declared its independence from Azerbaijan, and moved to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people were killed on both sides between 1988 and 1994, and over 100 died following a 1994 ceasefire. Nagorno-Karabakh remained in Armenian hands, but tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted. Azerbaijan is determined to restore its control over the separatist region.
More than 100 international observers and journalists from Russia, France, the United States, Italy, Israel, Serbia and other countries are monitoring the referendum.
