UNITED NATIONS, October 2. /TASS/. The number of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to those who remained in the region, may range from 50 to 1,000, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric said at a briefing.
"The team heard from representatives of communities that between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remain in Karabakh," he said.
Dujarric added that "in parts of the city that the team visited, they saw no damage to civilian public infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and housing, or to cultural and religious structures. No shops were open."
"The mission did not come across any reports - either from the local population interviewed or others - of violence against civilians following the latest ceasefire. The mission did not observe any destruction of agricultural infrastructure or dead animals from the road," he added.
The diplomat noted that the UN team had completed its visit to Karabakh but continues to work with the Azerbaijani government to monitor the situation in the region.
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." The Russian Foreign Ministry has called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed, end hostilities, prevent civilian casualties, and go back to trying to settle the Karabakh issue diplomatically. On September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that an agreement was reached with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to suspend anti-terrorist measures in Karabakh. On September 21, in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh, a first meeting was held between the representatives of Azerbaijan and Karabakh’s Armenian residents in order "to discuss the issues of reintegration."
On September 28, President of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree dissolving the republic effective January 1, 2024. The local ethnic Armenian population has been advised to consider the reintegration proposals being put forward by Baku and decide for themselves whether to remain or to relocate.