The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Friday that the first weapons and military technology have been delivered under the supervision of Russian soldiers to the conflict region in the South Caucasus.
After the defeat against Azerbaijan, Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh began to hand over their weapons, according to Russian sources. Under Wednesday’s agreement, the first weapons and military technology were delivered to the conflict region in the South Caucasus under the supervision of Russian soldiers, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Friday. No one was injured in two ceasefire violations, he said.
Nagorno-Karabakh is located on Azerbaijani territory but is predominantly inhabited by Armenians and has long been disputed between the two former Soviet republics. Last Tuesday, authoritarian-ruled Azerbaijan launched a military operation to conquer the region. Just a day later, the defeated Armenians of Karabakh surrendered. Many Armenians accuse their traditional protective power, Russia, which also stationed its own soldiers there, of abandoning them.
According to Armenian sources, more than 200 people died during the brief fighting and more than 400 were injured. The tens of thousands of Armenian civilians in the region now fear being displaced or oppressed by Azerbaijan’s new rulers.
Nagorno-Karabakh apparently surrounded
Azerbaijani soldiers are surrounding the regional capital Stepanakert in the Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to pro-Armenian separatist officials. “The situation in Stepanakert is terrible, Azerbaijani troops are all over the city, they are on the outskirts and people are afraid that Azerbaijani soldiers could enter the city at any time and start killing,” the port said on Friday. -voice Armine Hayrapetian, who represents the information center of the self-proclaimed government of Nagorno-Karabakh in the Armenian capital Yerevan.
“No electricity, no gas, no food, no fuel, no internet and telephone connection,” said Hayrapetian, describing the situation in the city. “People are hiding in basements.” She spoke of numerous deaths and injuries, without providing further details. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Yerevan that 40,000 places had been prepared for people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. It would be better if Karabakh Armenians could remain in their homes, he said at a government meeting on Friday. But this may become impossible.
“If the situation worsens, this problem will be on the agenda of each of us.” Meanwhile, a team from Doctors Without Borders traveled from Yerevan to the city of Goris, in Syunik province, in southern Armenia. A possible influx of people there from Nagorno-Karabakh is expected. Currently, no one is allowed to enter Armenia through the Lachin corridor. An adviser to Azerbaijan’s autocratic President Ilham Aliyev said civilians would be allowed to travel in their own vehicles on the route from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
According to Armenian information, it was quiet in Nagorno-Karabakh on Friday night. The South Caucasus region is located in Azerbaijan but is inhabited by ethnic Armenians. The Armenians of Karabakh, who still number tens of thousands of people, fear being expelled from their homeland or oppressed in authoritarian Azerbaijan. At the UN Security Council in New York, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing. His Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in turn, spoke about actions against terrorists in Karabakh.
EU foreign policy chief Borrell announces support
At the UN Security Council, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell also reaffirmed his full solidarity with Armenia and announced his support. “The EU and its Member States stand ready to provide urgent humanitarian assistance,” he said on Thursday evening. Azerbaijan is responsible for ensuring that the rights and security of Armenians in Karabakh are fully respected.
The European Commission wants to provide 500,000 euros to people affected by the conflict. “We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and are ready to provide further assistance,” said Commissioner Janez Lenarčič. Money should mainly cover people’s basic needs. The financial support now announced adds to the 1.17 million euros made available at the beginning of the year for the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the Commission.
Armenia expresses solidarity with its compatriots in Karabakh. Armenians have controlled Nagorno-Karabakh since war in the early 1990s and have also occupied neighboring districts of Azerbaijan. Armenian forces lost a war in 2020. Heavily armed Azerbaijan recaptured parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. Following Azerbaijan’s latest military offensive, Pashinyan’s leadership wants to prevent the conflict from spreading to the homeland of Armenia. In Yerevan on Friday, as in previous days, there were protests against what protesters considered Pashinyan’s position to be too soft. (APA)