Fear and distress – or relief supplies on the way? Armenians and Azerbaijanis present the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh very differently. Observers fear human rights violations by Azerbaijan.
Armenia says it is preparing for a possible evacuation of ethnic Armenians from the Nagorno-Karabakh region conquered by Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said 40,000 places were available. Although it would be better if the Karabakh Armenians could stay in their homes, this may be impossible, he said at a government meeting.
“If the situation worsens, this problem will be on the agenda for each of us,” Pashinyan said.
With military action on Tuesday and Wednesday, Azerbaijan forced the Karabakh Armenians and their internationally unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, which is located on Azerbaijani territory, to surrender. The attack killed at least 200 people and injured more than 400, according to Armenian media.
Yesterday there were talks about the integration of Nagorno-Karabakh into the state structures of Azerbaijan, but they did not produce any results. The Karabakh Armenians – still tens of thousands of people – fear being expelled from their homeland or being oppressed in authoritarian Azerbaijan.
Reports of encirclement of the city of Stepanakert
According to the Karabakh authorities, Azerbaijani soldiers are surrounding the capital Stepanakert. “The situation in Stepanakert is terrible, Azerbaijani troops are all around the city, they are on the outskirts and people are afraid that Azerbaijani soldiers could enter the city at any moment and start killing,” said spokeswoman Armine Hayrapetian, who said Information center representing Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto government in the Armenian capital Yerevan. “No electricity, no gas, no food, no fuel, no internet or telephone connection,” said Hayrapetian, describing the situation in the city. “People hide in basements.”
Azerbaijan, on the other hand, presents the situation differently: it has started delivering humanitarian goods to the region. The Ministry of Civil Protection said four trucks, each carrying 20 tons of food, hygiene products and bread, were on the way.
Human rights violationsI feared
International observers such as Armenia expert Tessa Hofmann fear human rights violations by Azerbaijan. “During the first attack on the Republic of Artsakh three years ago, politicians declared that the Armenians had to be driven out of Nagorno-Karabakh like dogs,” said the Armenia coordinator of the Society for Threatened Peoples. “This dehumanizing language bodes ill and raises fears of ethnic cleansing.”
International Observer mission required
The Left Party called for an international observer mission in Nagorno-Karabakh. “There is no longer time to stand idly by,” said party leaders Janine Wissler and Martin Schirdewan. “The international community can only protect the Armenian people from further suffering by acting now.” The region needs security and stability. Media and non-governmental organizations must be on site to document and report the situation first hand. According to the Left leaders, the United Nations is now responsible for organizing an observation mission.