Exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh

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Exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh
Ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh seeking refuge due to attacks by Azerbaijani armed forces.png
Ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh seeking refuge due to attacks by Azerbaijani forces (21 September 2023)
Date24 September 2023 – present
(5 days)
Location Nagorno-Karabakh
Cause 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
Displaced65,000 as of 28 September 2023 [1]

In September 2023, a military offensive was launched by Azerbaijan in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and forced the capitulation of the breakaway republic of Artsakh and the dismantling of separatist forces. [2] Prior to the offensive, the population of the breakaway republic was approximately 120,000, but the looming takeover by Azerbaijan and fears of genocide and ethnic cleansing resulted in over 65,000 having fled by the morning of 28 September. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Background

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan mostly populated by Armenians. [7] The conflict began in 1988, when the Karabakh Armenians demanded the transfer of the region from Soviet Azerbaijan to Soviet Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The war led to around 500,000 Azerbaijanis being displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupied surrounding regions as well as 300,000 - 500,000 Armenians being displaced from Azerbaijan [8] . In late 2020, the large-scale Second Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in thousands of casualties and a significant Azerbaijani victory, which saw Azerbaijan regain all of the regions around Nagorno-Karabakh as well as one third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. [9] Ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border have continued following the 2020 war, with intermittent but ongoing casualties.

In December 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia that was supposed to be under Russian peacekeeping control. It installed a border checkpoint on the corridor and following a border shootout near the checkpoint in June 2023, Azerbaijan tightened the blockade by not allowing any transportation to the region. [10] This led to shortages of food, medicine and other supplies. Azerbaijan has also sabotaged critical civilian infrastructure of Artsakh, including gas, electricity, and Internet access. [11] [12] [13]

On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched an offensive into the region with the goal of disarming the self-proclaimed republic's army. [14] During the 24-hour attack, hundreds died on both sides, as well as five Russian peacekeepers. After the government of the Republic of Artsakh agreed to a capitulation, Azerbaijan opened the road to Armenia following a few days of negotiations. This decision allowed those who wished to depart to do so. Consequently, a significant number of Armenians began leaving the region from 24 September onwards.

Flight

On 24 September, the first group of refugees reached Armenia through the Kornidzor border post, [15] [16] [17] with 1,050 refugees arriving that day according to the Armenian government. [18] As news of the ability to leave spread, there was a flood of people fleeing, with the number of people reaching Armenia hitting over 65,000 by 28 September, which constitutes over half of Nagorno-Karabakh's population. [6] [19] [5] Also on 27 September, reports emerged that Ruben Vardanyan, a former high-level government official in Artsakh and wealthy businessman was arrested by Azerbaijan as he was about to enter Armenia. [20]

After months with limited to no availability of fuel, a delivery of fuel made it possible for people to fill some of their cars with fuel for the drive to Armenia. The lines were very long at one fuel station by Stepanakert, when a 50-ton underground fuel tank exploded, killing 68 people and injuring hundreds. [21]

Reports say that the road from Stepanakert to Armenia has been clogged for days, with people sleeping in their cars overnight due to the traffic jam on the way out. [22] The normally 2-hour drive was taking 30 hours for people to navigate. [22]

The exodus has been described as ethnic cleansing by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, [23] as well as by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz . [24]

International response

In response to the humanitarian crisis a number of countries pledged aid to help Armenian refugees, including Iran [25] and the EU with a pledged of €5m. [26] The chief of USAID Samantha Power arrived in Armenia together with US State Department Acting Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim to visit the affected people and pledged $11.5m in humanitarian assistance. Power said that "many of those who had arrived were suffering from 'severe malnutrition,' according to doctors at the scene". [27] On 28 September, USAID sent a Disaster Assistance Response Team to the region to help coordinate the U.S. humanitarian response. [28] [ better source needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagorno-Karabakh</span> Disputed territory in Transcaucasia

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region located in the South Caucasus, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans between Lower Karabakh and Syunik. Its terrain mostly consists of mountains and forestland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Artsakh</span> Breakaway state in the South Caucasus

Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh controlled parts of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, including the capital of Stepanakert. It has been an enclave within Azerbaijan. Its only overland access route to Armenia is via the 5 km (3.1 mi) wide Lachin corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khojaly massacre</span> 1992 mass killing of Azerbaijanis during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War

The Khojaly massacre was the mass killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian forces and the 366th CIS regiment in the town of Khojaly on 26 February 1992. The event became the largest single massacre throughout the entire Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagorno-Karabakh conflict</span> 1988–present conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbaijanis until their expulsion during the 1990s. The Nagorno-Karabakh region is entirely claimed by and partially de facto controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, but is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan controls the remainder of the Nagorno-Karabakh region as well as the seven surrounding districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachin</span> Place in Azerbaijan

Lachin is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arayik Harutyunyan</span> Artsakh politician; President 2020–2023 (born 1973)

Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan is an Artsakhi politician who served as the fourth president of the de facto-independent Republic of Artsakh from May 2020 to September 2023. Under his predecessor Bako Sahakyan, he served as the sixth and last Prime Minister from 2007 until the abolishment of that position in 2017 and as the first State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh from 2017 until his resignation in 2018. Harutyunyan led Artsakh through the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War with Azerbaijan, during which the republic lost most of the territory under its control. He resigned on 1 September 2023 in the midst of the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zabukh</span> Place in Lachin, Azerbaijan

Zabukh or Aghavno is a village in the Lachin District of Azerbaijan. The village came under the control of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh after 1992 and was renamed Aghavno and settled by Armenians. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Zabukh came under the control of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. On 26 August 2022, Azerbaijan regained control of Zabukh along with other settlements located along the former route of the Lachin corridor, including Lachin and Sus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh</span> Formerly occupied territories of Azerbaijan

The Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh were areas of Azerbaijan, situated around the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), which were occupied by the ethnic Armenian military forces of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh with military support from Armenia, from the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988–1994) to 2020, when the territories were returned to Azerbaijani control by military force or handed over in accordance to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement. The surrounding regions were seized by Armenians under the justification of a "security belt" which was to be traded for recognition of autonomous status from Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lachin corridor</span> Mountain pass linking Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh

The Lachin corridor is a mountain road that links Armenia and Republic of Artsakh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political status of Nagorno-Karabakh</span>

The political status of Nagorno-Karabakh has remained unresolved since its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union on 10 December 1991. During Soviet times, it had been an ethnic Armenian autonomous oblast of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a conflict arose between local Armenians who sought to have Nagorno-Karabakh join Armenia and local Azerbaijanis who opposed this.

The Lachin offensive was a military operation launched by Azerbaijan against the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh and their Armenian allies along the Armenia–Azerbaijan border during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, with the suspected goal of taking control of the Lachin corridor. The offensive began in mid-October, when the Azerbaijani forces advanced into Qubadlı and Laçın Districts after capturing Zəngilan. On 25 October, the Azerbaijani forces seized control of the city of Qubadlı.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement</span> Armistice agreement ending the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement is an armistice agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was signed on 9 November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, and ended all hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region from 00:00, 10 November 2020 Moscow time. The president of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, also agreed to an end of hostilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacekeeping operations in Nagorno-Karabakh</span> Peacekeeping operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region

In the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, peacekeeping operations were initiated by Russia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to monitor the ceasefire between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. Separate from the Russian operation, Turkey also has personnel working in a joint Russian–Turkish monitoring centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis</span> Political and military crisis on the Armenia–Azerbaijan border

The military forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in a border conflict since 12 May 2021, when Azerbaijani soldiers crossed several kilometers (miles) into Armenia in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik. Azerbaijan is currently occupying at least 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) of Armenian territory. Azerbaijan has not withdrawn its troops from internationally recognised Armenian territory despite calls to do so by the European Parliament, United States and France – two of three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Since the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Azerbaijan has made numerous incursions into Armenian territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zangezur corridor</span> Hypothetical geopolitical corridor

The Zangezur corridor is a concept for a transport corridor which, if implemented, would give Azerbaijan unimpeded access to Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic without Armenian checkpoints via Armenia's Syunik Province and, in a broad sense, for the geopolitical corridor that would connect Turkey to the rest of the Turkic world thereby "uniting it". The concept was not part of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement but was introduced to geopolitical lexicon later by Ilham Aliyev. It has since been promoted by Azerbaijan and Turkey, while Armenia has steadily objected to it, asserting that "corridor logic" deviates from the ceasefire statement, and that it is a form of propaganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 bombardment of Martuni</span> Bombardment by Azerbaijani forces

The bombardment of Martuni was the bombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in the Martuni Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is de jure a part of Azerbaijan. It was carried out by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The city Martuni, along with the de facto capital Stepanakert, were badly damaged as a result of shelling. The shelling resulted in the deaths of five civilians. 1,203 buildings were damaged in the province as a result of the bombardment, according to Artsakh Urban Development Ministry. Victoria Gevorgyan, a resident of the Martuni Province of Nagorno-Karabakh, became the first child killed on the very first day of the war.

Events of the year 2023 in Armenia.

This is a list of individuals and events related to Azerbaijan in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blockade of the Republic of Artsakh (2022–present)</span> Part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The blockade of the Republic of Artsakh is an ongoing event in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The region was disputed between Azerbaijan and the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, which has an indigenous Armenian population and was supported by neighbouring Armenia, until the dissolution of Republic of Artsakh on 28 September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh</span> Military offensive by Azerbaijan

Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement. The offensive took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, but populated by Armenians. The attacks occurred in the midst of an escalating crisis caused by Azerbaijan blockading the Republic of Artsakh, which has resulted in significant scarcities of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and other goods in the affected region.

References

  1. 1 2 "More than 65,000 flee Nagorno-Karabakh, separatist republic will 'cease to exist'". France 24. 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Light, Felix; Osborn, Andrew (20 September 2023). "Azerbaijan halts Karabakh offensive after ceasefire deal with Armenian separatists". Reuters. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Ebel, Francesca (27 September 2023). "Exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh accelerates; Azerbaijan arrests former leader". Washington Post . Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Armenians begin leaving Azerbaijan en masse after 'iron fist' ends Soviet-era civil conflict". ABC News . 25 September 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 "65,036 forcibly displaced persons enter Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh". armenpress.am. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Nagorno-Karabakh: 50,000 people flee to Armenia along 100 miles of winding road after Azerbaijan military offensive". Sky News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Trevelyan, Mark (20 September 2023). "Explainer: Nagorno-Karabakh: tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan explained". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Gefährliche Töne im "Frozen War"". Wiener Zeitung. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Armenia and Azerbaijan: A blockade that never ended and a peace deal hanging by a thread". Global Voices. 19 July 2023. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Nagorno-Karabakh again faces shortages as Azerbaijan closes Lachin Corridor". OC Media. 20 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor". Council of Europe – Parliamentary Assembly. 20 June 2023. p. Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. PDF. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023. [the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]...is extremely worried by events...which culminated on 12 December 2022 with the interruption of the free and safe passage through the Lachin corridor and the subsequent deliberate cutting of electricity and gas supplies to the region... [The Assembly]...urges Azerbaijan to restore electricity and gas supplies without delay or impediment.
  12. ↑ Marques, Pedro; Kaljurand, Marina; Santos, Isabel; Hajšel, Robert; Incir, Evin; Loiseau, Nathalie; Auštrevičius, Petras; Bilbao Barandica, Izaskun; Charanzová, Dita; Chastel, Olivier; Cseh, Katalin; Gheorghe, Vlad; Grošelj, Klemen; Guetta, Bernard; Hahn, Svenja; Karlsbro, Karin; Melchior, Karen; Nart, Javier; Paet, Urmas; Ries, Frédérique; Šimečka, Michal; Ştefănuță, Nicolae; Strugariu, Ramona; Vautmans, Hilde; von Cramon‑Taubadel, Viola; Weimers, Charlie; Fragkos, Emmanouil; Kruk, Elżbieta; Dzhambazki, Angel; Zalewska, Anna; Brudziński, Joachim Stanisław; Kanko, Assita; Jurzyca, Eugen; Bielan, Adam; Fidanza, Carlo; Ruissen, Bert‑Jan; Kouloglou, Stelios; Castaldo, Fabio Massimo. "JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh | RC-B9-0075/2023 | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023. whereas this humanitarian crisis was further aggravated by Azerbaijan's disruption of the natural gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh, which left houses, hospitals and schools without heating...[the European Parliament]...urges Azerbaijan to refrain from undermining the functioning of transport, energy and communication connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in future.
  13. ↑ "Ensuring free and safe access through the Lachin Corridor". Council of Europe – Parliamentary Assembly. 20 June 2023. p. Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. PDF. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023. [the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]...is extremely worried by events...which culminated on 12 December 2022 with the interruption of the free and safe passage through the Lachin corridor and the subsequent deliberate cutting of electricity and gas supplies to the region... [The Assembly]...urges Azerbaijan to restore electricity and gas supplies without delay or impediment.
  14. ↑ Sauer, Pjotr (19 September 2023). "Why is there dispute over control of Nagorno-Karabakh?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Light, Felix (23 September 2023). "Karabakh Armenians say ceasefire being implemented, aid is arriving". Reuters . Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Roth, Andrew (24 September 2023). "First evacuees from Nagorno-Karabakh cross into Armenia". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  17. ↑ "First group of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrives in Armenia". France 24. 24 September 2023. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  18. ↑ "Hundreds of ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia". Aljazeera. 24 September 2023. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  19. ↑ "Armenia reports the arrival of 42,500 refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh". Euronews. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  20. ↑ Edwards, Christian (27 September 2023). "Nearly half of Nagorno-Karabakh's population has fled. What happens next?". CNN. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "Explosion kills 68 Armenian refugees as thousands flee Nagorno-Karabakh". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Nagorno-Karabakh: Nearly half of ethnic Armenians flee – DW – 09/27/2023". dw.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Thousands flee as Armenia says ethnic cleansing under way". BBC. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Israel's Fingerprints Are All Over the Ethnic Cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh". www.haaretz.com. 27 September 2023. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Preparations underway in Iran to send humanitarian aid to Armenia". news.am. 28 September 2023. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "EU provides €5 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Nagorno Karabakh". Public Radio of Armenia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Brown, Christian; Edwards, Benjamin (26 September 2023). "'Severe malnutrition' is growing concern as thousands flee Nagorno-Karabakh, senior US official warns". CNN. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  28. ↑ United States Agency for International Development [@USAIDSavesLives] (28 September 2023). "NEW: @USAID has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team in the South Caucasus region to coordinate the U.S. humanitarian response to the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Follow this space for more updates" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 September 2023– via Twitter.
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