According to Azerbaijan, a United Nations team arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday after nearly the entire ethnic-Armenian population left after Baku retook the rebel territory.
According to a spokesman for the Azerbaijani presidency, a “UN mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning” with the primary goal of determining the area’s humanitarian needs.
The international organization has now entered the area for the first time in roughly 30 years.
Following a one-day Azerbaijani onslaught last week, Armenian separatists, who had ruled the area for three decades, decided to disarm, dissolve their government, and merge with Baku.
A centuries-old desire of Armenians to reunite what they claim to be their ancestral homeland, separated among regional rulers since the Middle Ages, was severely damaged by the failure of Karabakh’s breakaway bid.
A refugee problem resulted from the estimated 120,000 residents of Karabakh leaving the region over the ensuing days.
Armenia held a nationwide day of prayer for the area on Sunday.
Church bells rang out across the nation, while Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, presided over a liturgy in Echmiadzin, close to the nation’s capital Yerevan.
Outside the majestic cathedral made of pale pink marble, clergymen dressed in elaborate robes sang ancient chants at an outdoor altar.
Yerevan urged Armenians to stay in their homes and reintegrate with Azerbaijan where their rights would be respected after accusing Baku of “ethnic cleansing”—a charge Baku refuted.
The unexpected flood of refugees presents a significant housing dilemma for Armenia, a nation of 2.8 million people.
Authorities reported that 35,000 people were currently staying in temporary housing. In order to assist people escaping, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies issued an urgent plea on Friday for 20 million Swiss Francs ($22 million).
Azerbaijan is currently in “re-integration” talks with separatist leaders while also imprisoning some of its previous top officials from the military and government.
