YEREVAN, September 24. /TASS/. Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh are highly likely to flee their homes, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an address to the nation.
"The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh continue to face the danger of ethnic cleansing. In recent days, humanitarian supplies have arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh, but this does not change the situation. Unless genuine conditions are created for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians to live in their homes, along with effective protection mechanisms against ethnic cleansing, the likelihood is growing that Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians will see exile from their homeland as the only way out," Pashinyan said.
Armenia is ready to accommodate Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh if that becomes necessary, he said.
"If these efforts don’t bring any concrete results, our government will with love host our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.
Tensions reignited in Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19. Baku announced it was starting "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan said there were no Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and described the situation as "an act of large-scale aggression." Residents of the Armenian capital gathered outside the Armenian cabinet building for a protest, putting blame for what is happening on the country’s leadership including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Russia called on the sides of the conflict to halt the bloodshed and return to diplomacy. On September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry an agreement had been reached, with the help of the Russian peacekeeping force, to suspend the anti-terrorist operation in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from 12:00 p.m. Moscow time. Representatives of Azerbaijan and the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh held a meeting in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh on September 21 to discuss the issues of the region’s reintegration in Azerbaijan.