Armenia’s ambassador to the UK, Varuzhan Nersesyan, says it is "too late" to prevent the Nagorno-Karabakh exodus of ethnic Armenians, but warned that Azerbaijan could launch an invasion of Armenia if the West does nothing to respond to the events resulting in the forced displacement of Armenians in what is now Azeri-controlled territories.

Nersesyan also noted that firm security guarantees will likely not be enough to offer the remaining ethnic Armenians protection and avert a possible future war.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the ambassador noted that "Now that they see the international community’s reaction is a soft one… it’s not excluded that they may be tempted to carry out another attack on the Republic of Armenia."

“It is a serious situation and here the international community has a preventive and preemptive role to play, not to allow any country that is becoming a bully in international relations to threaten neighbouring countries and to present unfounded territorial claims,” he added. 

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Nersesyan explained that Azerbaijani has been making claims to the designated Zangezur corridor. If Baku were to set out to secure it, the corridor would cross sovereign Armenian territory to connect Azerbaijan with an exclave known as Nakhchivan. This matter, the ambassador stressed, has raised significant concerns in Yerevan.

“There is such a threat, because they have not seen the international community acting throughout the nine months of the inhuman blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh other than calls and statements,” Nersesyan said adding that “the international community needed to react to this in a very robust, harsh, harsh manner.”

Over 100,400 people flee Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia after escalation

Almost 100,417 out of 120,000 people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh before the recent escalation last week have fled for Armenia, said Armenian government spokeswoman Nazeli Baghdasaryan on Saturday. 

Baghdasaryan told a press briefing that "as of this moment, 100,417 people have arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, 21,043 vehicles have crossed the Hakari Bridge [in Lachin corridor]."  Moreover, she added that the Armenian authorities already registered 81,139 people and allocated temporary housing for 32,200 people.

The mass departure of Nagorno-Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population began last week, shortly after Azerbaijan initiated what it termed "local-level anti-terrorist operations" in the separatist region on September 19.

Under the mediation of Russian peacekeepers, Nagorno-Karabakh's authorities agreed to disarm and surrender all their weaponry to Baku the following day. Notably, Armenia was not a party to these negotiations.

The Azerbaijani government committed to facilitating the "integration" of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who choose to remain in the region.

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