Cars overloaded with suitcases and memories, in which entire Armenian families are crammed together, with tired and scared faces. It is the flow of Armenia-bound refugees fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian-majority separatist enclave defeated by a lightning offensive by Azerbaijan last week. More than 28,000 people managed to cross the border in a forced and “massive” exodus that – according to France – is taking place “with the complicity of Russia”, which has deployed a peacekeeping force in the region since 2020. And the numbers continue to rise hour by hour. Brussels, which is closely following the crisis in the South Caucasus, announced that “there was an intensive exchange” at today’s meeting between diplomatic advisers from Paris, Berlin, Yerevan and Baku, together with the EU envoy for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar. . Exchange of views on the importance of a possible meeting” between the two leaders – Armenians and Azerbaijanis – at the third summit of the European Political Community, scheduled for October 5 in Granada. “On all fronts of the normalization process, concrete measures and “Determined compromise solutions are required,” said a spokeswoman for the EU Council, emphasizing that the meeting in Spain should serve both Armenia and Azerbaijan to reaffirm their commitment to the integrity and sovereignty of their countries. US diplomatic work is also intensive. Senior U.S. officials dispatched by Joe Biden following the outbreak of violence arrived in Armenia to reaffirm U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and democracy and to help address humanitarian needs. While Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Azerbaijani president and called on him to protect civilians. The crisis in the South Caucasus is also being followed by the two major regional players, Russia and Iran, whose presidents Vladimir Putin and Ebrahim Raisi held “a detailed exchange of views on the situation” today.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is alarmed and spoke of an “absolute tragedy” and a humanitarian crisis in the enclave after the explosion of a fuel depot that left at least 68 dead and hundreds injured, recalling that the hospitals in the Enclave The region had already reached its limits before the influx of patients caused by the explosion. Meanwhile, an Azerbaijani source revealed to France Presse that Baku is searching for possible perpetrators of “war crimes” among the thousands of Armenian refugees fleeing the separatist enclave. “Azerbaijan intends to grant amnesty to the Armenian fighters who laid down their arms in Karabakh. But those who committed war crimes during the Karabakh wars must be handed over to us,” the same source explained, explaining that men of fighting age were caught on camera at the final checkpoint before leaving the enclave.
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