Caucasian scholars assess humanitarian consequences of Nagorno-Karabakh agreement

Azerbaijan has not clarified what will happen to the population of the territories that have passed under its control; therefore, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh rightly fear ethnic cleansings. In its turn, Armenia, where the majority of Karabakh residents move, will not be able to accept and provide housing for all migrants, the Russian researchers interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 10, the statement of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh has come into force. In particular, it deals with the deployment of Russian peacemakers along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the corridor connecting it with Armenia.

The agreement on the peaceful conflict settlement has caused discontent among the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, Vadim Mukhanov, says a leading researcher at the IMO RAS. The defeat of Yerevan, which became the largest one in the history of Armenia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has caused massive discontent among residents of Armenia, which predictably turns into protests, he has noted, supposing that Armenia will face a socio-economic crisis; and the situation will worsen due to the flow of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. Mr Mukhanov is sure that if people fail to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, "they will face ethnic cleansings."

"It is the population of Nagorno-Karabakh that suffered most in this war. The agreement gives no prospects for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, this is a direct step towards a humanitarian catastrophe," Vadim Mukhanov believes, noting that there are no guarantees that the population of the territories that will pass under Azerbaijan will not be affected.

Most of the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have already left for Armenia, Alexander Skakov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his calculations, more than three quarters of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh have left their homes; the number of refugees is in tens of thousands.

He is sure that the Christian cathedrals and historical heritage objects located in the territories that will now be controlled by Azerbaijan are under threat of destruction. Over the past decade, the city of Shushi has been restored; museums have appeared there – all this, after the arrival of Azerbaijanis, will most likely be demolished, the expert believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 12, 2020 at 03:46 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.