A United Nations mission arrived in Karabakh on October 1st, marking the first time in three decades. Meanwhile, Armenia is grappling with the challenge of accommodating the sudden influx of refugees from the enclave.
A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, Azerbaijan said, after almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population fled since Baku recaptured the breakaway enclave.
An Azerbaijani presidency spokesman told AFP that a “UN mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning,” mainly to assess humanitarian needs.
It marks the first time in about 30 years that the international body has gained access to the region.
Armenian separatists, who had controlled the region for three decades, agreed to disarm, dissolve their government and reintegrate with Baku following a one-day Azerbaijani offensive last week.
France has lashed out at Azerbaijan for only allowing the mission in after most residents had already fled.
The end of Karabakh’s separatist bid dealt a heavy blow to a centuries-old dream by Armenians of reuniting what they say are their ancestral lands, divided among regional powers since the Middle Ages.
Nearly all of Karabakh’s estimated 120,000 residents fled the territory over the following days, sparking a refugee crisis.
Yerevan has accused Baku of “ethnic cleansing,” an allegation that Baku rejected, calling on Armenians not to leave their homes and reintegrate with Azerbaijan where their rights would be respected.
Armenia, a country of 2.8 million, faces a significant challenge housing the sudden influx of refugees.
On Friday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced an emergency appeal for 20 million Swiss Francs ($22 million) to help those fleeing.
Azerbaijan is now holding “re-integration” talks with separatist leaders while at the same time detaining some senior figures from its former government and military command.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are set to meet on Thursday in Granada for Western-mediated talks to end their historic enmity.
With the two countries’ relations poisoned by ethnic hatred ensuing from three wars in as many decades, several rounds of negotiations mediated by Brussels and Washington have failed to bring about a breakthrough.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
