After the announced abandonment of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in Azerbaijan, more than 100 thousand refugees from the region arrived in Armenia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“Many are hungry and exhausted and need immediate support,” said Refugee Commissioner Filippo Grandi. “International assistance is very urgently needed,” he said.
APA/AFP/Alain Jocard
According to previous reports, Armenia expects all of its approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians to leave the self-proclaimed Armenian Republic in the middle of Azerbaijan. There has been fighting in the area for decades, with thousands of deaths.
Nagorno-Karabakh should “cease to exist”
Last week, Azerbaijan launched an offensive and, shortly after, the rulers of the internationally unrecognized republic, which is now scheduled to be dissolved on January 1, 2024, capitulated. Nagorno-Karabakh, which was predominantly inhabited by Armenians, would “cease to exist,” a decree said.
Azerbaijan has said it will respect the rights of ethnic Armenians who wish to remain in Nagorno-Karabakh. The concept of an independent Armenian region is gone forever. Many Armenians have said they do not want to stay in Nagorno-Karabakh for fear of oppression and violence.