Ten days after the Azerbaijani victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, almost all Armenians have fled the region. A government spokeswoman said on Saturday that 100,417 refugees had been registered (see video above). In Armenia, those affected can count on the support of the population: in Yerevan, countless people took to the streets for Bergkarbach.
The last refugees were on their way to Armenia on Saturday, according to a former official representative of the self-proclaimed Bergkarbach region. There are at most ‘a few hundred’ people left in the region, including civil servants, aid workers and volunteers. The Armenian government accused Azerbaijan of ‘ethnic cleansing’.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced “retaliatory measures” after an Azerbaijani soldier was shot dead by a sniper at the border. The Armenian government rejected the accusation on Saturday. The claim that Armenian forces opened fire on Azerbaijani positions is false.
The United Nations has announced aid
The United Nations this weekend announced the first UN mission to Nagorno-Karabakh in more than three decades, providing mainly humanitarian aid. The Armenian government also asked the European Union for help with the influx of refugees. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said on Saturday that medical supplies and emergency shelter had been requested.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague was asked to ensure that remaining ethnic Armenians are not expelled from the region or that those who have already fled are not allowed to return. Before Azerbaijan’s victory, approximately 120,000 Armenians lived in Nagorno-Karabakh. The region has long been part of Azerbaijan under international law, but declared itself independent in 1991 after an internationally unrecognized referendum.
End of the conflict?
Azerbaijan’s military launched a large-scale offensive in the region on September 19. Just a day later, the pro-Armenian forces declared their surrender. The dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic was announced on Thursday, January 1, 2024. The move marks the end of one of the world’s longest and seemingly most intractable conflicts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been fighting over the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union and have therefore fought two wars, most recently in 2020. At the time, after six weeks of fighting that left more than 6,500 dead, Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement that forced Armenia to give up large areas.
With Azerbaijan’s government likely to have won the conflict, Armenia’s long-time ally Russia had allowed Azerbaijani forces to have their way.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
