The 120 thousand ethnic Armenian residents of Nagorno-Karabakh will leave the region for Armenia, since they do not wish to live on the territory of Azerbaijan for fear of ethnic cleansing by the Azeris.
The Prime Minister of Armenia also stated that the Armenians of Karabakh will most likely leave the region and that Armenia is ready to welcome them into the country. All this was said after the country’s defeat last week, when Azerbaijan launched a new conflict against the Armenian enclave.
Armenians in Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but previously considered under Baku’s control, were forced to declare a ceasefire on September 20 after a surprise 24-hour military operation by the much larger and more powerful Azerbaijani military.
Official Statements that indicate Uprooting!
Azerbaijan states that as long as it integrates Karabakh into its territory, it will ensure the rights of Armenians, however the inhabitants of the region seem to feel the oppression of the Azeris for this and have decided to leave their lands for Armenia.
For those who don’t know, the Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh is also known as the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Republic of Artsakh, or simply Artsakh.
The Armenian leaders of Karabakh said in a statement that all those alienated by the Azerbaijani military operation and who want to leave Artsakh will be escorted by the Armenian army and Russian peacekeepers.
Also, addressing the nation, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that although humanitarian aid has arrived from foreign countries for the Armenians of Karabakh, the residents of Artsakh “live there under the fear of ethnic cleansing”.
