The flow of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia continues to grow. Thousands of people are leaving the region to seek safety from Azerbaijan. Armenia’s government is looking for ways to accommodate them
After the conquest of the Nagorno-Karabakh region by Azerbaijan, the number of people fleeing the Caucasus region to Armenia is growing rapidly. The Armenian government announced on Facebook that 6,650 refugees had already been registered by midday. The evening before there were around 1,000 people.
Many refugees in Stepanakert
The government promised everyone in need that it would provide them with appropriate housing. The needs of almost 4,000 refugees have already been determined, the data for the others are still being checked, it said. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously predicted a growing flow of refugees. According to him, this is provoked by Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Meanwhile, in Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, food and medicine are becoming increasingly scarce. The only supply route there has been blocked by Azerbaijan for months. Since the attacks at the weekend, more and more people have been crowding into the city. The region’s political leadership promised to bring families “who are homeless after the recent military operation and who want to leave the republic” to Armenia. This will happen in the region accompanied by Russian troops.
Erdogan calls conquest “historic success”
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev assured that there would be no ethnic persecution of Armenians. During a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Recep Erdogan, he stated that all residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, regardless of ethnicity, are Azerbaijanis whose security is guaranteed by the Azerbaijani state. With Turkey’s support, regional developments are headed in the right direction, said Aliyev.
Erdogan congratulated Aliyev on the conquest of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to media reports, Erdogan said the Azerbaijani army had achieved a “historic success”. The fact that Erdogan and Aliyev met for their talks in the Azerbaijani autonomous exclave of Nakhichevan drew attention to another territory that is causing tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The autonomous republic in southeastern Armenia is largely cut off from the rest of Azerbaijan. The government in Baku is increasing pressure to create a corridor to the region. Speaking in Nakhchivan, which also borders Turkey, Erdogan said he was “very happy to be with all of you as we connect Nakhchivan with the Turkish world.” Armenia’s government described such plans as “unacceptable” last week.
No results achieved at meetings for now
The Azerbaijani army took complete control of Nagorno-Karabakh with a military offensive last week. The defenders of the internationally unrecognized republic in the South Caucasus then laid down their arms and announced the dissolution of their units.
Nagorno-Karabakh is inhabited by a majority of Armenians, but lies within the territory of Azerbaijan. Turkey is a close ally of the government in Baku, which wants to reintegrate the area. The Karabakh Armenians fear expulsion or revenge from authoritarian Azerbaijan after decades of conflict.
Representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan met for the second time today in Xocali (German: Khojali) under the mediation of the Russians. The first meeting ended a few days ago in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlax without any tangible result. Nothing is yet known about the results of the new meeting.
Interview scheduled in Granada
Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Pashinyan are scheduled to meet for talks on October 5 as part of the European Political Community (EPG) meeting in Granada, Spain. Representatives of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, France and the EU are scheduled to meet in Brussels tomorrow, the Armenian news agency Armenpress reported, citing Armenia’s government.