This occurred in May 1992, when the Armenian armed forces attacked the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in the direction of Sadarak and almost the entire border line of the autonomy with Armenia. In the context of a severe political crisis in Baku, the Armenian side sought to intensify their attacks. On the first day of the attack on Nakhchivan, they succeeded in capturing Azerbaijani positions in Sadarak. The objective was to gain control of the strategic point connecting Nakhchivan to Türkiye. In the initial hours of the attack, 15 defenders of Nakhchivan were killed, and more than 80 were seriously wounded. As a consequence of the significant political, diplomatic and military endeavours of Heydar Aliyev, the Chairman of the Ali Majlis (Supreme Assembly-Parliament) of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the situation was stabilised, a significant diplomatic challenge was mounted against the Armenian aggression, and by attracting the attention of the world media to Nakhchivan, dangerous plans against our region were prevented. The quiet seizure of Azerbaijan's strategic Nakhchivan exclave did not succeed.  In May 1992, Armenia suffered a diplomatic and public opinion defeat by the hands of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of Azerbaijan, for the first time since the beginning of the aggressive war against Azerbaijan. Many states and international organisations condemned the Armenian attacks on Nakhchivan. And on the battlefields, the national armed forces, which the far-sighted leader Heydar Aliyev first established in Nakhchivan (as the then President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutallibov evaded the establishment of a national army and made this process difficult, under the leadership of Heydar Alivev, the State Defence Committee was established by the parliament of the Nakhchivan autonomy) had already by May 18 regained the positions lost earlier, the Armenian Army suffered serious losses, and, most importantly, an important strategic place like Saderak - the gateway to the Turkic world - remained under the control of the Azerbaijan state. 

On 28 May 1992, the bridge connecting Nakhchivan with Turkey, named "Umid" (Hope), was inaugurated by Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel and Chairman of the Ali Majlis of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Heydar Aliyev.

P.S. The German ARD reported on the situation in Nakhchivan in May 1992.

Press Service of Ali Majlis of
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic