CNN —Armenia’s prime minister has called his country’s security relationships “ineffective,” in a swipe at Russia after Azerbaijan claimed the breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh following a swift military campaign. But this week, Azerbaijan forced the surrender of ethnic Armenian fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh, seemingly bringing to an end a conflict that has simmered for decades and raising the question whether Armenia could rely on long-term ally Russia. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians, who make up the majority of the population, and have created their own de facto government, rejecting Azerbaijani rule. Pashinyan’s comments come as the first group of civilians arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. One local official in the disputed region, said that the bulk of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population would leave for Armenia.

---

Persons: CNN —, ”, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Azerbaijan’s, ” Pashinyan, ” David Babayan, Samvel Shahramanyan, ” Babayan, Cross Organizations: CNN, Collective Security, Organisation, NATO, Armenia’s Public, Reuters, International Committee, Twitter, Armenian Locations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russian, “ Armenia, “, Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh