Over 100,400 people flee Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia after escalation
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Reports revealed that 100,417 people have arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, and 21,043 vehicles have crossed the Hakari Bridge.
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Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh gather next to their belongings near a tent camp after arriving at Armenia's Goris in Syunik region, Armenia, on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 (AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov)
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.
On September 28, Azerbaijan said it wanted ethnic Armenians to remain in Nagorno-Karabakh after it took full control of the region.
"We call on Armenian residents not to leave their homes and become part of Azerbaijan's multi-ethnic society," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministery said after around half of the region's population fled to Armenia since Baku announced its operation on September 19.
The Ministry's statement came in response to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's remarks where he accused Baku of engaging in "ethnic cleansing" after 70,500 people made their way to Armenia.
"Nikol Pashinyan knows perfectly well that Armenian residents are leaving Karabakh on their own volition," the Foreign Ministry asserted.
"This is their personal decision which has nothing to do with forced migration," Baku said in response.
On the same day, the recently elected leader of the breakaway territory, Samvel Shahramanyan, officially renounced all claims to independence from Baku. He announced that the self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, would cease to exist as of January 1, 2024.
