US urges deployment of international observers in Nagorno-Karabakh
- 27 September, 23:09
Washington has offered deployment of international observes in Nagorno-Karabakh region after the exodus of thousands of Armenians from the region that surrendered to Azerbaijan last week.
The US desire to deploy observers in the embattled region was voiced during a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday. According to State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller, Aliyev agreed to an observation mission during the conversation in which the latter pledged to refrain from further military actions. However, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev said the following day that there was no need for international observers to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Blinken’s call for international observers comes after Azerbaijan’s swift victory last week brought Nagorno-Karabakh under Baku's full control and ended thirty years of Armenian rule in the separatist region. The region’s surrender to Azerbaijan exacerbated the humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of Armenians started fleeing for Armenia out of fear of persecution. Over 50,000 Armenians have already left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia as of Wednesday, according to officials in Yerevan. The number represents around 40% of the region’s reported pre-war Armenian population.
Despite fears among Karabakhi Armenians, Azerbaijan has given security guarantees for the region’s population. Armenian’s exodus from Karabakh has triggered international response. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concerns about the displaced people, while the EU has allocated 5 million euros in response to the needs of those fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh.
