Thousands of refugees flee to Armenia in wake of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh military
Thousands of refugees cross into Armenia
Almost 3,000 ethnic Armenians have crossed into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of last week’s Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed region, which left hundreds of people dead, wounded or missing, report the Guardian’s Andrew Roth and Sam Jones.
By 5am local time on Monday, more than 2,900 refugees had arrived in Armenia, according to an Armenian government statement cited by Russia’s Tass state news agency.
Several hundred refugees began crossing over from Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, becoming the first civilians to reach Armenia in nearly a year and reuniting families after a 10-month blockade by Azerbaijan that has led to desperate shortages of food, fuel and water in the local capital, Stepanakert, and surrounding areas.
Officials in the breakaway Armenian government in the region have said they plan to evacuate thousands of displaced people from the region into Armenia.
The local government said evacuees would be accompanied across the border from the disputed region into Armenia by Russian peacekeepers.
Read the full story here.
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By 5am local time on Monday, more than 2,900 refugees had arrived in Armenia, according to an Armenian government statement cited by Russia’s Tass state news agency.
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Several hundred refugees began crossing over from Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, becoming the first civilians to reach Armenia in nearly a year and reuniting families after a 10-month blockade by Azerbaijan that has led to desperate shortages of food, fuel and water in the local capital, Stepanakert, and surrounding areas.
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Officials in the breakaway Armenian government in the region have said they plan to evacuate thousands of displaced people from the region into Armenia.
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The local government said evacuees would be accompanied across the border from the disputed region into Armenia by Russian peacekeepers.
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Read the full story here.
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Key events
Expert view
We asked Olesya Vartanyan, the Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the South Caucasus region, about the refugees crossing from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the role of the international community.
“I spoke with some individuals in the region, and they expressed relief at finally having the opportunity to leave,” she said in an email this morning. “Most mentioned that they were packing their essentials with the belief that they might never return.”
“This mass outflow of people, Vartanyan added, “indicates that Baku’s declared intention to integrate these individuals is likely a deadborn policy. In the three years since the 2020 war, Azerbaijan has not clarified what it means by integration.”
It remains unclear whether the international community can have any impact, according to the analyst.
“Armenia and some Western states made attempts to prevent this exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh,” Vartanyan said, noting that “even during and immediately after the military operation, they offered Baku the launch of various international missions or at least some international presence on the ground” and that “this could have reassured local residents.”
“However, Baku has rejected all these offers so far, and Russia does not appear interested in foreign presence either. By the time Western states secure their support, there may be no one left in the region,” she said.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet with Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev today.
“The bilateral relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan will be discussed, and views on current global and regional matters, particularly the latest developments in Karabakh, will be exchanged,” the Turkish leader’s office said in a statement.
Reuters reports that ethnic Armenians in the capital of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh were seen today loading belongings into buses and trucks as they left for Armenia.
Dozens of people, many with children and luggage, lined up to board buses.
Thousands of refugees cross into Armenia
Almost 3,000 ethnic Armenians have crossed into Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of last week’s Azerbaijani military offensive in the disputed region, which left hundreds of people dead, wounded or missing, report the Guardian’s Andrew Roth and Sam Jones.
By 5am local time on Monday, more than 2,900 refugees had arrived in Armenia, according to an Armenian government statement cited by Russia’s Tass state news agency.
Several hundred refugees began crossing over from Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, becoming the first civilians to reach Armenia in nearly a year and reuniting families after a 10-month blockade by Azerbaijan that has led to desperate shortages of food, fuel and water in the local capital, Stepanakert, and surrounding areas.
Officials in the breakaway Armenian government in the region have said they plan to evacuate thousands of displaced people from the region into Armenia.
The local government said evacuees would be accompanied across the border from the disputed region into Armenia by Russian peacekeepers.
Read the full story here.
Good morning and welcome back to the Europe live blog.
Today we will be looking at the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, as refugees continue crossing into Armenia.
Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in the area last week, prompting condemnation and concern from western capitals. A ceasefire agreement was quickly reached and ethnic Armenian forces agreed to disband, leaving much uncertainty over the future of ethnic Armenian civilians in Karabakh.
Armenia’s prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, said on Sunday: “Our government…
Read Nore:Thousands of refugees flee to Armenia in wake of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh military