Tag: Nagorno

Ruben Vardanyan, a businessman who led the separatist government for a few months, was one of the thousands attempting to leave.

About 50,000 Armenian people have left Nagorno-Karabakh because Azerbaijan took control of it last week.

Mrs Vardanyan asked for help to make sure her husband is released safely.

“Veronika Zonabend said that Ruben supported the people of Arsakh during a 10-month blockade and shared in their fight for survival. ”

Azerbaijan’s border service stated that he had been brought to the main city, Baku, and given to other government organizations.

On Tuesday, many Armenians had to go through tough inspections by Azerbaijani border control when they crossed the border.

The government of Azerbaijan is searching for suspects who committed “war crimes” and they plan to forgive Armenian fighters who surrender their weapons in Karabakh.

“They said that the people who did bad things during the Karabakh wars should be given to us. ”

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region that is considered to be a part of Azerbaijan. However, it has been under the control of ethnic Armenians for the past thirty years.

Worries about more violence arose when Azerbaijan successfully blocked an important road into the area in December 2022.

On 20 September, a ceasefire stopped fighting for 24 hours. Azerbaijan and Karabakh leaders are discussing how to incorporate the enclave into Azerbaijan.

However, a lot of the area’s 120,000 Armenians are worried that they don’t have a future in Nagorno-Karabakh. The leader of Armenia said that people from different ethnic groups were being expelled from the area, which is a very serious and harmful thing.

The leaders of Karabakh said that at least 200 people died in the fighting last week, while Azerbaijan announced on Wednesday that 192 of their soldiers were killed.

There have been traffic jams on the road from Karabakh to Armenia for several days. A group from the BBC saw families squeezed into cars, with trunks overflowing and lots of belongings piled up on roof racks.

Western governments want Azerbaijan to let international observers go to Karabakh to watch how they treat the people who live there.

Germany has recently joined the calls for “transparency”, according to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

She said on X, previously known as Twitter, that if Azerbaijan allows international observers, it would show that they are serious about their promises to protect and take care of the people in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Tuesday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, to ensure that civilians are kept safe and have the freedom to move without any conditions. He also said that it is important for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Nagorno-Karabakh without any obstacles.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, also asked both groups to treat human rights with care and respect.

Officials said that on Saturday, a Red Cross group delivered essential supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. This was the first delivery of aid since Azerbaijan’s attack ended with a ceasefire facilitated by Russia.

The group of vehicles carried about 70,000 kilograms of supplies like wheat flour, salt, dried yeast, and sunflower oil for people in need. The information was shared by the International Committee of the Red Cross on X (previously called Twitter).

The help was taken through the Lachin corridor, which is the only road that connects Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the ICRC.

Since December 2022, Azerbaijan has blocked the road, so now people and businesses can’t use it.

The ICRC said that they helped 17 injured people escape from the fighting. They also gave medicine and bags for bodies to help the people in need.

The ICRC said that because there are many people in need, they are sending more people there who specialize in health, forensics, protection, and cleaning up weapons.

Nagorno-Karabakh, also called Artsakh by Armenians, is an area in the Caucasus Mountains that is surrounded by Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh is considered part of Azerbaijan by many countries, but it has about 120,000 Armenians living there who make up most of the population and don’t agree with Azerbaijani control.

It has led to a lot of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the past 30 years.

Even though there are Russian peacekeepers in the area, there has been a lot of tension in the region for many months.

In December, soldiers from Azerbaijan closed off the Lachin corridor, which is the only road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This blockade stopped the delivery of food to the approximately 120,000 people living there.

Over 200 people died and more than 400 others were injured in a military operation led by Azerbaijan this week. The defense ministry of Azerbaijan declared it as an “anti-terror” campaign in the area.

Russia has sent 50 tons of help, including food and basic things that people need, to Stepanakert. Stepanakert is the capital of the region. This news was reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday.

US Senator Gary Peters, who is currently in Armenia leading a group of American lawmakers, said he saw the blockade at the Lachin corridor along with the US ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien and the governor of Armenia’s Syunik province, Robert Ghukasyan.

On Saturday, Peters spoke to reporters and said that he has spoken to many people who are very worried about their family members and what happened to them.

“They are aware that they have been going through a hard time for several months due to the blockade. They have been facing shortages of food, medical supplies, and basic fuel,” he explained. “It’s a really bad situation based on what I’ve heard, and I’m really worried. ”