Azerbaijan opened the only road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on Sunday after months. The pro-Armenian troops had already laid down their arms. According to authorities, more than 50,000 refugees had arrived in Armenia by Wednesday afternoon (CEST). Most of the displaced arrived in Goris, in the Syunik province of southern Armenia. There were long queues in front of stores selling phone cards.
The Associated Press news agency cited a 27-year-old woman from the regional capital Stepanakert who arrived in Goris with her family after 28 hours. “There were seven of us in a small car,” she said. “It was a terrible trip because people are panicked and nervous.” On the long journey they used fuel that they had saved for emergencies. The people included mainly women, children and the elderly.
Portal/Irakli Gedenidze Children fled Nagorno-Karabakh with their families and arrived in Goris
Doctors Without Borders adapts aid
Doctors Without Borders teams are preparing to provide psychological care to refugees and are prepared to adapt assistance as more people arrive and needs change. “People in this region have been isolated and deprived of essential goods, food, medical and humanitarian assistance for nine months,” said Franking Frias, head of operations in Armenia.
The Lachin corridor has been blocked since December 2022. This has led to severe shortages of goods such as food, medicines, fuel and other essential goods. “It is crucial that people who want to leave the area can leave Nagorno-Karabakh safely,” Frias said.
In a first step, the Austrian Red Cross, which is also deployed to help refugees, supported the Armenian Red Cross with 30,000 euros in emergency aid for basic goods and monetary assistance. According to operations manager Jürgen Högl, the initial focus is on registration and psychosocial support, first aid and family reunification.
Armenia promises accommodation for refugees
According to US news agency AP, hours-long traffic jams were reported on roads from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on Tuesday. Long lines of cars could be seen in satellite photos. Many spent the night in their cars or buses. Others looked for firewood on the side of the road to make fires and keep warm.
APA/AFP/Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies The Lachin Corridor has been blocked since December 2022 and opened on Sunday
The Armenian government promised to provide accommodation to all refugees. A reception camp has been set up in the city of Kornidzor, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s press secretary Naseli Bagdasaryan.
Former politician Vardanyan arrested
As announced by the Azerbaijani border guard, a former member of the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leadership was arrested on his way to Armenia. Former “minister of state” Ruben Vardanyan was arrested when he wanted to leave the region, it was said. Vardanyan, a billionaire and investment banker, was part of the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh (“Republic of Artsakh”) from November 2022 to February 2023.
Graphics: APA/ORF
He was taken to the capital Baku, where authorities decided how to proceed, border guards said, according to state news agency Azertac. In the border guard’s statement, Vardanyan is accused of illegal entry into Azerbaijan. It is not known if there are further charges against the 55-year-old.
As the AFP news agency learned from Azerbaijani government circles, border authorities are looking for suspects who are considered responsible for “war crimes” and who should be prosecuted.
120,000 lived in Nagorno-Karabakh
To date, nearly 120,000 ethnic Armenians have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The region has been disputed between the two former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia for decades. After a war in the early 1990s, Armenia was in control. After another war in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Yerevan accused Baku of planning “ethnic cleansing” in the region after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive there on September 19. Just one day later, pro-Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh had to accept a ceasefire agreement. Baku now wants to fully reintegrate Nagorno-Karabakh into its territory.
Hundreds dead on both sides
Russia, as Armenia’s traditional protective power, let the Azerbaijanis have their way with their military offensive. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan therefore made bitter accusations against Moscow. Russia, in turn, accused Yerevan of making a “big mistake” with its recent turn to the West.
APA/AFP/Alain Jocard The city of Goris becomes a refuge for thousands of Armenians
According to information from Baku on Wednesday, 192 Azerbaijani soldiers and one civilian were killed in the military offensive. More than 500 other Azerbaijani soldiers were also injured, the Health Ministry said. The pro-Armenian side reported 237 deaths in the fighting. A total of more than 400 people were killed in the military offensive.
On Monday it was also reported that 68 people died in a gas station explosion. They were queuing to refuel their cars before leaving for Armenia, the Armenian Ministry of Health said.
International observers called for
On Tuesday, representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Brussels at the initiative of the European Union. The talks between the national security advisers of enemy countries, in the presence of representatives from France and Germany, were under the patronage of the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel.
Tens of thousands have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh
Since Azerbaijan’s military offensive last week, tens of thousands of people have fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia. Azerbaijan opened the only road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on Sunday after months.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Azerbaijan to allow international observers into the region. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also appealed to Azerbaijan’s autocratic President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call to allow an international observation mission.