Armenians leaving Nagorno-Karabakh en mass after local militants’ defeat by Azerbaijan
- 24 September, 17:27
Hundreds of Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan reclaimed the territory in a lightning military offensive days ago.
The region’s separatist leaders have said that around 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh will leave for Armenia. "As of 22:00 local time, 1,050 people entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh," the Armenian government said in a statement on September 24. It said many of them had already been provided with government-funded housing. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a televised address on Sunday that the government was ready to welcome Armenians from Karabakh.
David Babayan, an adviser to Samvel Shahramanyan, the president of the separatist government in Nagorno-Karabakh has warned of a mass exodus and says his people will not be part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan consolidated its control over the region last week, after defeating Armenian military forces there in a swift attack.
Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally-recognized part of Azerbaijan, has been controlled by ethnic Armenians in the past three decades.
Azerbaijan’s recent offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh followed weeks of tensions in the region. It also comes amid the blockade of Lachin corridor – the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
