The self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh announces that it ceases to exist

The authorities of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh announced this Thursday an order for its dissolution on January 1, 2024, after more than three decades of control of the territory and following last week's military offensive by Azerbaijan, which thus reintegrated the territory.

The president of Nagorno Karabakh, Samvel Shahramanián, has signed a decree that contemplates that the self-proclaimed republic will cease to exist due to the “serious situation at the political and security level” and “based on the priority of guaranteeing physical security and the interests of the people of Artsakh.

Likewise, he highlights in a statement published on the Artsakh Presidency account on Telegram that the decision “takes into account the agreement reached with Azerbaijan, mediated by Russian peacekeeping troops, for the free, voluntary and unrestricted passage of residents of Nagorno Karabakh, including the military personnel who have handed over their weapons.

The dissolution of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh, recognized by no one, not even by Armenia, was one of the conditions imposed by Azerbaijan to stop the military operation that it launched on the 19th against the enclave and that concluded the next day with the capitulation. of the Karabakhs.

The document states that the inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh, including those outside its territory, must take note of the conditions presented by Azerbaijan for reintegration and then “decide individually” whether to remain in Nagorno Karabakh or return to it.

Road to “reintegration” in Azerbaijan

Nagorno Karabakh is a territory of about 4,400 square kilometers in the South Caucasus recovered by Azerbaijan in the aforementioned military offensive.. Until then, the area, with an Armenian majority, had been under the control of pro-Armenian forces for more than three decades despite the fact that the international community recognized the region as Azeri sovereignty.

The ceasefire announced on September 20 after the offensive, which left more than 200 dead in Nagorno Karabakh and resulted in the death of more than 190 Azeri soldiers, includes the disarmament of armed groups, the withdrawal of Armenian soldiers — yes Although Yerevan denies that they are deployed in the area– and the “reintegration” of the territory in Azerbaijan, for which two meetings have been held so far between delegations from Azerbaijan and Armenian representatives from the region.

Nearly 120,000 refugees

The capitulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has caused the exodus of Karabakhs to Armenia. More than half of the enclave's population, estimated at about 120,000 inhabitants, has left their homes since Sunday and moved to Armenia.

“By 0400 GMT, 65,036 forcibly displaced people from Nagorno Karabakh had arrived in Armenia,” Nazeli Baghdasarián, spokesperson for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinián, wrote on Facebook today.

According to the Armenian Executive, the majority of displaced people have housing in Armenia or relatives who welcome them.. The rest are placed in hostels, hotels, reception centers and other buildings in the city of Goris, which is located near the border with Azerbaijan.

The flight of Armenians from Karabakh continues despite the fact that the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Alíev, promised to respect the rights of the population of the enclave. In Yerevan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has denounced that “ethnic cleansing” of the mountainous territory is taking place.