A mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh has just about emptied the breakaway territory after Azerbaijan took again management in a navy operation.
Greater than 100,000 have now fled to Armenia from the disputed area, which had a inhabitants of round 120,000 earlier than Baku launched the successful lightning offensive, in accordance with the UN refugee company (UNHCR).
The variety of automobiles to cross the Hakari Bridge, which hyperlinks Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, since final week has topped 21,000.
Some households have been pressured to queue for days as a result of the winding mountain street that’s the solely route out grew to become jammed with site visitors.
In the meantime, Armenia has requested the EU for non permanent shelters and medical provides to deal with the inflow, Italy has stated.
The flight of greater than 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s inhabitants has raised questions on Azerbaijan’s plans for the enclave that was internationally recognised as a part of its territory, however which had been run by an ethnic Armenian breakaway state because the Nineteen Nineties.
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Nagorno-Karabakh refugees arrive in Armenia
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed the large-scale evacuation amounted to “a direct act of an ethnic cleaning and depriving folks of their motherland”.
However Azerbaijan has rejected the accusation, arguing the mass migration by the area’s residents was “their private and particular person resolution and has nothing to do with pressured relocation”.
Many ethnic Armenians fled as a result of they don’t belief the Baku authorities. Pic: AP
Throughout three many years of battle within the area, Azerbaijan and the separatists backed by Armenia have accused one another of focused assaults, massacres and different atrocities, fuelling suspicion and concern on either side.
Whereas Azerbaijan has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, many are fleeing as a result of they don’t belief the Baku authorities to deal with them correctly or assure their language, faith and tradition.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated his “iron fist” had consigned the concept of an unbiased ethnic Armenian Karabakh to historical past.
After six years of separatist combating resulted in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh got here underneath the management of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia.
Then, throughout a six-week conflict in 2020, Azerbaijan took again components of the area within the south Caucasus Mountains together with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed earlier.
Armenia has requested the EU for help to deal with the inflow. Pic: AP
In December, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin Hall, the one street connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, accusing the Armenian authorities of utilizing it for illicit weapons shipments to the area’s separatist forces.
Weakened by the blockade and with Armenia’s management distancing itself from the battle, ethnic Armenian forces within the area agreed to put down arms lower than 24 hours after Azerbaijan started its offensive.
Talks have begun between officers within the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities on “reintegrating” the area into Azerbaijan.