Nearly half of Armenians are fleeing – DW – 09/27/2023

Armenian authorities said that more than 53,000 people, or about 45% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population of 120,000, had left the region for Armenia by Wednesday night.

The mountain road leading from Nagrono-Karabakh towards Armenia has been blocked for days, as people continue to flee the region. Many reportedly slept in their cars and tried to get warm as they were stuck in traffic.

The 77-kilometre (48-mile) journey reportedly only took at least 30 hours.

big White House officials arrived in Azerbaijan as a humanitarian crisis and a mass exodus of tens of thousands of people unfolded.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power and U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim are expected to discuss the matter. The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the importance of Azerbaijan following up on its commitments in a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.

“The Authority will also address the prospects for a permanent and ongoing alliance The US Agency for International Development said in a statement: “A dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, based on mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

He visited the authority Armenia earlier this week, pledging that Washington would stand in solidarity with Armenia, adding that it was essential that the international community be able to access Nagorno-Karabakh to assess reports of unknown numbers of people who were injured and needed to be evacuated, or lacked food. . And other necessities.

The Azerbaijani Border Guard Service said on Wednesday that it had arrested the former leader of the separatist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Authorities said Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist of Armenian origin, was transferred to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.

His wife wrote on social media that he was arrested while trying to flee Nagorno-Karabakh “with thousands of Armenians.”

Vardanyan assumed leadership of the separatist movement in November last year after he renounced his Russian citizenship and moved to Nagorno-Karabakh. He resigned in February 2023.

His arrest is seen as confirmation of Azerbaijan’s approach to quickly impose its control over the region after the military operations that took place last week.

Armenian authorities say about 47,115 people have arrived from Nagorno-Karabakh since last week. Officials later increased the total to more than 50,000 people later on Wednesday.

This represents a third of all Armenians in the region that Azerbaijan regained after a military attack last week.

These numbers have not been independently verified, but thousands of people have fled the area over the past days.

The separatist authorities warned that Armenians in the region may face ethnic cleansing after Azerbaijan regains control over it.

Baku denied the allegations and said it was seeking the “peaceful reintegration” of the former separatist province.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Health said that 192 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and more than 500 others were injured in last week’s military attack to retake Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh separatist officials had previously announced that at least 200 people were killed on their side, including 10 civilians, and 400 wounded.

Last week’s operation led to Azerbaijan regaining control of Armenian-majority territory that had been administered by separatists for about 30 years. About 120,000 Armenians live in Nagorno-Karabakh, and it is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Tens of thousands have already fled the region to Armenia, and the numbers are likely to rise after Azerbaijan lifts its blockade of the roads between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

German Foreign Minister Annalina Baerbock called on the government of Azerbaijan to allow independent observers into the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Baerbock said in a statement on Wednesday that Germany and its partners are “working hard to send observers as soon as possible,” and that Germany will increase its humanitarian aid from 2 million euros to 5 million euros ($5.2 million).

She said that allowing the mission of international observers would be a “proof of confidence” in Baku’s commitment to the “security and well-being” of the peoples of the region.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also stressed the need for an international mission when he spoke to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday. Blinken also urged Aliyev to “refrain from further hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and provide unhindered humanitarian access.”

Nagorno-Karabakh was subject to a siege by Azerbaijan for several months, before Baku regained control of the separatist region last week and pledged to guarantee the rights of Armenians.

But thousands have fled over the past days, due to a lack of basic necessities and many fear retaliation by Azerbaijani forces.

fg/fb (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)