In the beginning of 1920 , Sultanov intensified his efforts to bring control of the region under Azerbaijani rule by issuing an ultimatum to the Armenian National Council . In early 1920 , the Paris Peace Conference had recognized Azerbaijan 's '' de facto '' claim to Karabakh . But since the conference had ended without issuing a conclusive decision on Karabakh , Sultanov advocated for a local solution , one which demanded that the region be incorporated into Azerbaijan . He bolstered the size of the garrisons at Khankendi and continued to move his troops around , once more without the required consent of his administrative council . Ethnic tension in Karabakh heightened once more , as Azerbaijani troops lynched and killed several Armenians in Khankendi and pillaged the surrounding areas in February of that year . In early March , after a delegation of Karabakh Armenians met in the village of Shosh and rejected the possibility of union with Azerbaijan , Sultanov sought to tighten his control of Karabakh : he forbade Armenians from leaving Shusha without permission , stationed Azerbaijani troops in Armenian homes , ordered Armenian veterans of the former Russian Army to register so that they may not partake in military activities , and drew up plans to destroy several Armenian villages to sever the link between Armenians in Karabakh and the region of Zangezur . In March 1920 , mass killings of the Armenian population took place in the Shusha massacre
Shusha massacre
Shusha massacre
Khosrov bey Sultanov