Moscow, Sept 27, (dpaGNA) – More than 42,000 people have fled the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, according to official figures, after Azerbaijan took control of the region in a rapid military operation.
Some 42,500 people have now arrived in Armenia, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, told a press conference on Wednesday.
A reception camp has been set up in the village of Kornidzor, Baghdasaryan said. The Armenian government has promised to provide shelter for all refugees, she said.
Kornidzor is located in Armenia near the Lachin Corridor, which connects the Armenian heartland with the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies on Azerbaijani territory but has so far been inhabited by an Armenian majority. The Azerbaijani offensive and subsequent surrender of the local government led to a mass exodus of the region’s Armenian inhabitants.
GNA