- Nagorno-Karabakh to dissolve, ending unrecognized republic.
- Mass exodus amid “ethnic cleansing.”
- Charges against former separatist leader.
The breakaway government of Nagorno-Karabakh has announced its intention to dissolve itself, leading to the cessation of the unrecognised republic by 2024.
Samvel Shahramanyan, the self-proclaimed president of Armenia’s Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, has issued a decree to dissolve all state institutions by 1 January 2024, as stated by Karabakh Armenian authorities. The decree explicitly mentions that the republic will cease to exist on that specified date.
Last week, after Azerbaijan’s 24-hour offensive aimed at regaining complete control over the breakaway region, more than half of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population fled to Armenia, in what Armenia has termed “ethnic cleansing.”
The decree also mandates that the local population must “familiarise themselves with the reintegration conditions presented by the Republic of Azerbaijan” and make “an independent and individual decision” regarding whether to remain in the region or to leave.
The military assault by Azerbaijan’s army compelled local authorities to lay down their weapons and commence “reintegration” negotiations for Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh, which declared independence in 1991, was under the administration of Armenian ethnic authorities for nearly 30 years.
A spokesperson for the Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, reported that 68,386 people from Nagorno-Karabakh had entered Armenia, accounting for over half of the estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians who resided in Karabakh before the recent round of hostilities.
Pashinyan has characterized the exodus as “ethnic cleansing” and warned that no Armenians would remain in the region in the coming days. He urged for “international actions” against Azerbaijan, emphasizing the need for concrete measures to follow condemnations. Antony Blinken, the former U.S. Secretary of State, previously called upon Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to halt further hostilities, ensure the well-being of its citizens, and allow access to international observer missions.
Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Europe think tank, commented, “I think we’re going to see the vast majority of people in Karabakh leaving for Armenia. They are being told to assimilate into Azerbaijan, a country of which they have never been a part, despite the fact that the majority of them do not even speak the language, and that they must dismantle their local institutions. The majority of citizens in Karabakh will not accept this offer.”
On Thursday, Azerbaijani authorities announced charges against former separatist leader Ruben Vardanyan, accusing him of financing terrorism and other offenses. Vardanyan, a wealthy industrialist who served as the minister of state for the Nagorno-Karabakh republic, was detained as he attempted to cross into Armenia a day earlier. A Baku court ordered Vardanyan’s arrest and four-month detention pending trial.
