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☆ More than half of Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenians have left
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. Azerbaijan says it is prepared to respect ethnic Armenian rights as it reabsorbs the region, but with a history burdened by folk memories of alleged genocide, ethnic cleansing, pogroms and at least two wars, the Armenians are fleeing in fear. In Soviet times, Nagorno-Karabakh enjoyed autonomy within the Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. But as the Soviet Union crumbled the First Karabakh War erupted. About 30,000 people were killed between 1988 and 1994 and more than a million people displaced, more than half of them Azeris.

Persons: Aliyev Aliyev, David, Ruben Vardanyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Ilham Aliyev, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, USAID, Soviet, KARABAKH, Wednesday, Armenian, West, U.S . Agency for International Development, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Yerevan, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Soviet Union, Soviet, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, Moscow, Baku, Lachin

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. Earlier, Ethnic Armenian authorities in Karabakh said they were dissolving the breakaway statelet they had defended against Azerbaijan for three decades. Many of those leaving have said they fear persecution and ethnic cleansing at the hands of Azerbaijan. Suleymanov, who issued a call on social media appealing to ethnic Armenians to stay and be part of a multi-ethnic Azerbaijan, said he understood why many civilians were frightened, but that those who chose to stay would benefit from planned rebuilding and infrastructure projects. HISTORIC MONUMENTSKarabakh Armenians will enjoy the same rights and protections as other citizens of Azerbaijan, he said.

Persons: Irakli, there's, Elin Suleymanov, Suleymanov, we're, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Azerbaijan, Reuters, Baku, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Baku, Nakhchivan, Iran, Turkey

CNN —The self-declared republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist from next year after its president signed a decree dissolving state institutions following its defeat by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani victory last week triggered a a huge exodus of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and marked the end of decades of conflict. President Samvel Shahramanyan’s decree called for all institutions and organizations of the Republic of Artsakh – which is not recognized internationally – to dissolve by the start of next year. “The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) ceases its existence,” read the decree, which was shared on Facebook by the Artsakh government. Shahramanyan said the decision had been made “due to the current difficult military-political situation.”Samvel Shakhramanyan signed the decree Thursday, agreeing to dissolve all state institutions from January 1, 2024.

Persons: Samvel Shahramanyan’s, ”, Shahramanyan, Samvel Shakhramanyan, Samantha Power, ” Power Organizations: CNN, Facebook, National Assembly of, United States Agency for International Development, USAID Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Republic, Artsakh, National Assembly of Republic of Artsakh, Russia, Lachin, Azerbaijan’s, Baku, Armenia, Kornidzor, Stepanakert

☆ Photos this week: September 21-28, 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Azerbaijani victory triggered a huge exodus of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and marked the end of decades of conflict — and potentially the end of centuries of Armenian presence in the region. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan's borders but has for decades operated autonomously with a de facto government of its own. The landlocked mountainous region is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who make up the majority of the population. The majority of the population has already voted with its feet, with tens of thousands opting to flee their ancestral homes. Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: Karabakh Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's

☆ Photos: Ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Tens of thousands of people have fled Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia after Azerbaijan launched an offensive to take back full control of the breakaway region. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan's borders but for decades has operated autonomously with a de facto government of its own. Azerbaijan says Karabakh Armenians can remain in the region if they accept Azerbaijani citizenship, but many people have preferred to leave their homes. The landlocked mountainous region is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who make up the majority of the population. But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and international experts have repeatedly warned of the risk of ethnic cleansing.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: Armenian Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan's, Russia

☆ Armenians in Russia Return Home to Help Karabakh Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightKORNIDZOR, Armenia (Reuters) - When Azerbaijan overran the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, David Harapetyan drove 1,000 km (620 miles) from his home in the Russian city of Stavropol to this Armenian border village to help fleeing Karabakh Armenians. I came to help my people however I can," said Harapetyan, who was born in this southern corner of Armenia but holds only Russian citizenship. Armenia’s government said on Wednesday that more than 50,000 Karabakh refugees so far had crossed the border, out of a total estimated Karabakh Armenian population of 120,000. The sudden influx has strained resources in Goris, the border town where Armenian authorities have booked out hotels for refugees with nowhere to go. Harapetyan said he and a group of 10 Stavropol Armenians he had arrived with were helping new arrivals with accommodation.

Persons: Felix Light KORNIDZOR, David Harapetyan, Harapetyan, Karen Martirosyan’s KAMAZ, Karabakh’s, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Stavropol Armenians Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Stavropol, Russia, United States, France, Goris, Badara, Stepanakert

☆ Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians rush to flee Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in the back of a truck as they arrive in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 26, 2023. The hairpin mountain road snaking out of Karabakh towards Armenia was choked with people. There were conflicting details about the toll of the blast but the ethnic Armenian authorities said at least 68 had been killed, 105 were missing and nearly 300 were injured. "The Secretary urged President Aliyev to commit to broad amnesty and allow an international observer mission into Nagorno-Karabakh," Miller said. "President Ilham Aliyev underlined that respective activities are underway to ensure the rights of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region," it said.

Persons: Irakli, GORIS, Vera Petrosyan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Azerbaijan's Aliyev, Matthew Miller, Aliyev, Miller, Blinken, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Soviet Union, Reuters, Armenian, West, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Soviet South Caucasus, South Caucasus, Soviet, Askeran, Russia, United States, Turkey, Iran, Moscow

☆ Azerbaijan arrests former top Karabakh minister as exodus tops 50,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mostly by ethnic Armenians who broke away in the 1990s in the first of two wars there since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Karabakh authorities said more than 50,000 had left so far, out of an estimated ethnic Armenian population of 120,000. Azerbaijan rejects Armenian accusations of ethnic cleansing, but images of tens of thousands of desperate people on the move have provoked widespread international alarm. Germany added its voice to U.S. calls for Azerbaijan to allow international observers into Karabakh. Karabakh authorities said they lost at least 200 people in Azerbaijan's offensive last week.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan, Veronika Zonabend, Morris Tidball, Binz, Annalena Baerbock, Matthew Miller, Washington, Irakli, Ilham Aliyev, Zonabend, Miller, Vera Petrosyan, Daphne Psaledakis, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Alison Williams Organizations: Twitter, U.S . State Department, REUTERS, Reuters, Local, Russian, Russia, State, Washington, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan Karabakh, Germany, GORIS, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Baku, Soviet Union, Kornidzor, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, United States, Washington

☆ Armenian priest fears for Karabakh's Christian heritage amid mass exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive last week to retake the whole region, prompting a mass Armenian exodus. More than 50,000 people had crossed the border into Armenia by early Wednesday afternoon, nearly half of Karabakh's estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Prior to last week's offensive, the Karabakh Armenians had lived under an effective 10-month Azerbaijani blockade which had led to chronic shortages of food, fuel and medicines. ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LANDConflict in the region between Armenians and Azeris goes back more than a century. There are churches in Azerbaijan which the authorities say are Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenians, something Armenians strongly dispute.

Persons: David, Irakli, Priest, Father David, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Christianity, Thomson Locations: Goris, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, KORNIDZOR, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Baku, Shusha, Moscow, Russian, Armenia's, Albania, Albanian, Turkey, Iran, Ottoman Turks

☆ USAID Chief to Raise Karabakh Humanitarian Situation in Azerbaijan Visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Daphne PsaledakisWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Biden administration officials arrived in Azerbaijan on Wednesday amid a humanitarian crisis and an exodus of tens of thousands of people after Azerbaijan took back control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive last week. U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) chief Samantha Power, joined by U.S. State Department Acting Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim, will raise the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the importance of Azerbaijan following through with its commitments in a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. Power "will also address the prospects for a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, based on mutual respect for each others’ territorial integrity and sovereignty," USAID said in a statement. The Armenians are not accepting Azerbaijan's promise to guarantee their rights as the region is integrated. The Nagorno-Karabakh leadership told Reuters the region's 120,000 Armenians did not want to live as part of Azerbaijan for fear of persecution and ethnic cleansing.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON, Samantha Power, Yuri Kim, Ilham Aliyev, Aliyev, Daphne Psaledakis, David Holmes Organizations: Biden, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, U.S . State, Power, Karabakh, Reuters Locations: Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Europe, Armenia, Washington, Soviet Union

Tens of thousands died fighting for and against it, destroying the careers of two presidents — one Armenian, one Azerbaijani — and tormenting a generation of American, Russian and European diplomats pushing stillborn peace plans. It outlasted six U.S. presidents. But the self-declared state in the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh — recognized by no other country — vanished so quickly last week that its ethnic Armenian population had only minutes to pack before abandoning their homes and joining an exodus driven by fears of ethnic cleansing by a triumphant Azerbaijan. Slava Grigoryan, one of the thousands this week who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, said he had only 15 minutes to pack before heading to Armenia along a narrow mountain road controlled by Azerbaijani troops. On the way, he said, he saw the soldiers grab four Armenian men from his convoy and take them away.

Persons: —, Slava Grigoryan Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Armenia

☆ Nagorno-Karabakh: Nearly half of the population has fled. What happens next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Nearly half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population has fled to Armenia, with many thousands more still scrambling to evacuate, a week after the breakaway region surrendered following a lightning Azerbaijani offensive. No Armenian will be left here within maybe two weeks,” a Karabakh resident told CNN. Nonna Poghosyan, the American University of Armenia’s program coordinator in Stepanakert, told CNN that her family realized this weekend that it was safer to leave than to stay. Residents told CNN before the latest offensive began that they would have to wait in line for hours to get their daily share of bread. Analysts told CNN before the evacuations began that they feared Azerbaijan might prevent certain members of the population from leaving.

Persons: –, Vasily Krestyaninov, Stepanakert, ”, Russia –, Olesya, “, Ilham Aliyev, Siranush Sargsyan, rakli Gedenidze, Farid Shafiyev, ” –, ” Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Poghosyan, ’ ” Poghosyan, Poghosyan's, Nonna, Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Power, ” Vartanyan, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan Organizations: CNN, Wednesday, Karabakh, Soviet Union, Russia, Refugees, International Relations, Armenia’s, American University of, United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Residents, US State Department, Crisis, ICRC Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s, Baku, ”, Soviet Union, Soviet, Turkey, Russian, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Kornidzor, Baku –, Artsakh, Republic of Armenia, Goris

CNN —Armenian soccer player Henrikh Mkhitaryan has called on international leaders to “stand up against ethnic cleansing” in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The region has its own de facto government that is backed by Armenia, but is not officially recognized by Armenia or any other country. The latest figures mean that more than one-third of the region’s roughly ethnic Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia. The blockade prevented the import of food, fuel and medicine to Nagorno-Karabakh, prompting fears that residents were being left to starve. The closure of the Lachin corridor has also prevented international organizations and foreign media from accessing Nagorno-Karabakh.

Persons: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, “, Mkhitaryan, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: CNN, Twitter, Inter Milan, Cross, Criminal Court, Manchester United, Arsenal, Europa League, Karabakh, Reuters Locations: Armenian, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Russian, Russia

☆ Armenia warns of 'ethnic cleansing' as thousands flee the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Armenian police officers walks near refugees as they queue in vehicles near the border town of Kornidzor, arriving from Nagorno-Karabakh, on September 26, 2023. Thousands of ethnic Armenians on Tuesday fled their homes in the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, as Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan publicly blamed Russia for failing to ensure the country's security. The U.S. has called for Azerbaijan to maintain a ceasefire and "take concrete steps" to protect the rights of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The landlocked territory of Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991 and, with the support of Armenia, has fought two wars with Azerbaijan in the space of 30 years. As of Tuesday morning, at least 13,350 people were estimated to have entered Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the Armenian government.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan Organizations: Tuesday, Armenia's Locations: Kornidzor, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Europe, Asia, The U.S, Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Separatist authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said Tuesday that at least 20 people were killed and nearly 300 others injured by an explosion at a gas station as people seeking to flee to Armenia lined up for fuel. Thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh residents are fleeing to Armenia after Azerbaijan’s swift military operation to fully reclaim the region after a three-decade separatist rule. Political Cartoons View All 1179 ImagesThe Armenian government said that more than 6,500 Nagorno-Karabakh residents had fled to Armenia as of Monday evening. Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by the Armenian military, in separatist fighting that ended in 1994. During the war in 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed during the earlier conflict.

Persons: Moscow Organizations: — Locations: YEREVAN, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, ”, Azerbaijan

☆ Russia, US Trade Diplomatic Blame Over Instability in Karabakh Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) - Moscow and Washington have accused each other of destabilising the South Caucuses region, as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh over ethnic cleansing fears. "I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh by Monday after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in last week's lightning military operation. Baku has promised to protect the rights of the roughly 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home but many refuse to accept its assurances. Moscow has said Armenia only had itself to blame for Azerbaijan's victory over Karabakh because it flirted with the West rather than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Vladimir Putin, Matthew Miller, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Yuri, theArmenians, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, US State Department, U.S . State Department, Monday, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia's, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, . State, U.S, aMoscow Locations: Moscow, Washington, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, U.S, Baku, South Caucasus, United States, Turkey, Iran, Europe, Azerbaijan, aroundNagorno, Melbourne

Menendez, the senior Democratic senator for New Jersey, has been a vocal opponent of Turkey receiving aircraft to update its fighter fleet. “One of our most important problems regarding the F-16s were the activities of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez against our country,” Erdogan told journalists on a flight back from Azerbaijan on Monday. “Menendez’s exit gives us an advantage but the F-16 issue is not an issue that depends only on Menendez,” Erdogan added. Neither Washington nor Ankara have openly admitted a link between Sweden’s bid to the F-16 deal but it is widely acknowledged unofficially. “We will raise our voices even more for Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized by other countries,” Erdogan said.

Persons: —, Sen, Bob Menendez, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Menendez, U.S . Sen, ” Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Hakan Fidan, Erdogan, Blinken, Fidan, ”, “, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: U.S, Senate Foreign Relations, Democratic, U.S ., Turkish, NATO, Finland, Israeli, General Assembly Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, New Jersey, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ankara, Greece, Sweden, Stockholm, Ukraine, Hungary, Washington, Nakhchivan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku, Armenia, Iran, Tehran, New York, Israel, Cyprus, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

☆ Turkey will back Sweden's NATO bid if U.S. keeps promise on F-16 sale - Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AXEL HEIMKEN/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament will keep its promise to ratify Sweden's NATO bid if U.S. President Joe Biden's administration paves the way for F-16 jet sales to Ankara, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, according to Turkish media. Speaking to reporters on his flight back from Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan, Erdogan said that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Sweden's NATO membership bid last week in New York. The U.S. administration is linking F-16 fighter jet sales to Turkey with Ankara's ratification of Sweden's bid, Erdogan said. "If they (the U.S.) keep their promises, our parliament will keep its own promise as well. Turkish parliament will have the final say on Sweden's NATO membership," he said.

Persons: AXEL HEIMKEN, Joe Biden's, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: US Airforce, Air, Rights, Sweden's NATO, NATO, Thomson Locations: Jagel, Germany, Rights ANKARA, Ankara, Azerbaijan's, Nakhchivan, New York, U.S, Turkey

☆ US Urges Continued Humanitarian Aid for Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday as officials announced additional humanitarian assistance to address health care and other emergency needs. The White House statement came as the death toll from an explosion and fire at a fuel depot in the breakaway enclave rose to 68, with a further 105 people missing and nearly 300 injured. "We urge continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for all those in need." On a visit to Armenia, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said on Tuesday the United States would provide $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance. (Reporting by Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Marguerita Choy)

Persons: Adrienne Watson, Samantha Power, Jasper Ward, Doina, Leslie Adler, Marguerita Choy Organizations: WASHINGTON, United, National Security, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID Locations: United States, Karabakh, Nagorno, Armenia, States, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union

☆ US urges continued humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A satellite image shows a long traffic jam of vehicles along the Lachin corridor as ethnic Armenians flee from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, September 26, 2023. Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The United States urged continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday as officials announced additional humanitarian assistance to address health care and other emergency needs. "We urge continued humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for all those in need." On a visit to Armenia, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said on Tuesday the United States would provide $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance. Reporting by Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adrienne Watson, Samantha Power, Jasper Ward, Doina, Leslie Adler, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Maxar Technologies, REUTERS, Acquire, Rights, United, National Security, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, United States, Armenia, States, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union

☆ Russia, US trade diplomatic blame over instability in Karabakh crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sept 26 (Reuters) - Moscow and Washington have accused each other of destabilising the South Caucuses region, as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh over ethnic cleansing fears. "I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh by Monday after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in last week's lightning military operation. Baku has promised to protect the rights of the roughly 120,000 Armenians who call Karabakh home but many refuse to accept its assurances. Moscow has said Armenia only had itself to blame for Azerbaijan's victory over Karabakh because it flirted with the West rather than working with Moscow and Baku for peace.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Vladimir Putin, Matthew Miller, Nikol Pashinyan, Samantha Power, Yuri, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: US State Department, U.S . State Department, Monday, Azerbaijan, Karabakh, Armenia's, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, . State, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Washington, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Russia, Soviet Union, Ukraine, U.S, Baku, South Caucasus, United States, Turkey, Iran, Europe, Azerbaijan, Russian, Melbourne

☆ Thirty-four years after fleeing Azerbaijan, a Karabakh Armenian is on the move again
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Hasmik Khachatryan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGORIS, Armenia, Sept 25 (Reuters) - For the second time in his life, Samvel Alaverdyan is fleeing Azerbaijan. Now he has escaped from Karabakh itself, where Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive last week to end three decades of de facto independence for the 120,000 ethnic Armenians who lived there. The 45-year-old ex-policeman, who said he had been working as a civilian on a Karabakh Armenian military base, is one of the first Armenians to escape the Karabakh capital of Stepanakert, which the Azeris call Khankendi. Samvel has previous military experience with Karabakh forces and his son Hayk was serving in the Karabakh Armenian army until last week. Russia will work on ensuring that the rights of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh are respected, Peskov added.

Persons: Hasmik, Samvel Alaverdyan, Alaverdyan, Monika, Hayk, Samvel, “, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Armenian, Goris, Yerevan, Soviet, Sumgait, I'm, Charentsavan, Azerbaijani, Russia, Moscow, Azeri, Turkish

☆ Hundreds Injured After Fuel Depot Blast in Nagorno-Karabakh, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

More than 200 people were wounded on Monday in a fuel depot explosion in Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, the human rights ombudsman for the region said. The cause of the explosion could not immediately be determined, and it was not clear if there were any fatalities, but Armenian separatist officials said, “There are victims and wounded.”“A strong explosion occurred in the gasoline warehouse near the Stepanakert-Askera highway,” the authorities said in a statement. “At the moment, rescue and medical operative groups are working on the spot.” Stepanakert is the capital of the breakaway region. The blast comes as thousands of ethnic Armenians have been fleeing the breakaway region since the weekend to cross the border into Armenia, days after a military offensive brought the enclave back under Azerbaijan’s control.

Persons: ”, “, Stepanakert Locations: Karabakh, Armenia

☆ Hollywood deal, Kosovo monastery siege and ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Hollywood writers reach a preliminary labor agreement with major studios. Thousands of ethnic Armenians flee the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan takes control. In Kosovo, Serb gunmen on the run after deadly monastery siege. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingStriking Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studiosNagorno-Karabakh's Armenians start to leave en masse for ArmeniaSerb gunmen battle police in Kosovo monastery siege; four deadUS government shutdown: What is it and who would be affected?

Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Thomson, Striking Hollywood, Armenia Serb Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, masse

☆ Turkey's Erdogan to meet Azeri's Aliyev as thousands flee Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/David Ghahramanyan Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is to meet his ally Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on Monday, as thousands of ethnic Armenians began an exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan defeated the breakaway region's fighters last week. Erdogan will pay a one-day visit to Azerbaijan's autonomous Nakhchivan exclave - a strip of Azeri territory nestled between Armenia, Iran and Turkey - to discuss with Aliyev the situation in the Karabakh region, the Turkish president's office said. The Armenians of Karabakh, a territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but previously beyond its control, were forced into a ceasefire last week after a 24-hour military operation by the much-larger Azerbaijani military. Erdogan, who backed the Azeris with weaponry in the 2020 conflict, said last week he supported the aims of the Azerbaijan's latest military operation but played no part in it. The Karabakh Armenians are not accepting Azerbaijan's promise to guarantee their rights as the region is integrated.

Persons: David Ghahramanyan, Tayyip Erdogan, Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan, Aliyev, David Babayan, Samvel Shahramanyan, Lidia Kelly, Michael Perry Organizations: Residents, REUTERS, Karabakh, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan, Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Turkish, Khankendi, United States, Republic of Artsakh, Melbourne

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