Refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh region travel by truck to the border with Armenia. Photo: IRAKLIY GEDENIDZE/Reuters
Azerbaijan may launch a truck Invasion of Armenia if the West fails to react decisively to the seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian ambassador to the UK warned.
Varuzhan Nersesyan said that it is likely that “ «too late» to prevent the exodus of ethnic Armenians from the enclave, but said firm security guarantees may not be enough to protect the few who remain and prevent another war.
“Now that they see that the reaction of the international community is soft… it is possible that they may be tempted to carry out another attack on the Republic of Armenia,” he told the Telegraph newspaper.
“This is an attempt to carry out more one attack on the Republic of Armenia.” This is a serious situation and the international community must play a preventive and proactive role by not allowing any country that becomes a bully in international relations to threaten neighboring countries and make unreasonable territorial claims.”
On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a so-called “anti-terrorist” operation against the ethnic Armenian-controlled separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.
The attack lasted 24 hours and ended in defeat for the Azerbaijanis. forces claiming full control of the region for the first time since the war of the 1990s.
This has led to a huge refugee crisis as tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians flee along the narrow mountain road connecting the region to the Republic of Armenia.
Mr Nersesyan said there were now serious concerns in Yerevan about Azerbaijani claims to the so-called Zangezur corridor, which should cross the sovereign territory of Armenia and link Azerbaijan with an exclave called Nakhchivan.
“There is such a threat because they have not seen the actions of the international community for nine months of the inhumane blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, except calls and statements,” he said.
“The international community had to react very sharply to this. tough, tough, tough manner.»
Ethnic cleansing
Azerbaijan denies ethnic cleansing in Karabakh.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said last week that Armenians will «finally breathe a sigh of relief» and will be able to vote, receive public education and freely practice their Christian religion in predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan.
Many ethnic Armenians say they do not trust such assurances and have fled, in what Armenian officials say is a clear example of ethnic cleansing.
The main road from Karabakh to Armenia has been clogged with refugee cars for days.
The Armenian government said that as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, 50,000 people, or more than a third of Nagorno-Karabakh's population, had crossed into Armenia.
Azerbaijan said it had detained the former head of the separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh. when he tried to move to Armenia.
Ruben Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman who made his fortune in Russia, where he owned a large investment bank, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and served as head of the regional government for several months. before resigning earlier this year.
The crisis has highlighted growing instability on Russia's periphery.
Russia is Armenia's main security ally and sent about 2,000 peacekeepers to the region to enforce the ceasefire that ended the war in the summer of 2022.
< p>However, the peacekeepers did not prevent Azerbaijan from imposing a nine-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, closing the so-called The Lachin corridor is the only road connecting it with Armenia. They also did not dispute Azerbaijan's attack last week.
Some analysts believe Russia is simply too weak to counter an Azerbaijani attack because it is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.
Others believe the peacekeepers' inaction points to a secret agreement between Baku and Moscow ahead of the attack.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on Monday accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of inviting disaster on himself by cozying up to the West to the detriment of traditional ties with Moscow.
Armenian officials insist they continue to honor their alliance with Russia and deny making any advances.
But Mr Nersesyan said Yerevan would «review» its security measures after the conflict because «the current arrangements clearly have not worked.»
Baku says it wants local residents to stay and take Azerbaijani citizenship .
Roads are clogged with cars amid a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: IRAKLI GEDENIDZE/Reuters
Russia's failure to enforce the ceasefire leaves Yerevan diplomatically isolated.
NATO is unlikely to provide assistance. That's because Turkey, a key member of the alliance, is a close ally of Azerbaijan.
Baku has also forged close ties with other Western powers in recent years, positioning itself as a reliable security partner and energy supplier.
Western officials have demanded access to international observers to ensure Azerbaijan keeps its promises, but also avoided harsh criticism of Baku.
Samantha Power, the head of USAID, twice refused on Tuesday to use the term “ethnic cleansing.” , when reporters asked if that was what was happening.
She said there were «very concerning reports of violence against civilians», adding: «There are a number of options being considered» when asked whether Whether Azerbaijan will face consequences for its actions.
The European Commission in a statement on Tuesday expressed concern about those who «chose to flee» but did not mention what they were fleeing.
She issued a revised statement on Wednesday expressing «solidarity with those who had no choice but to flee.»
Mr Nersessian declined to criticize the Commission or Ms Power, whom he called “Armenia is a great friend.”
But he added: “Of course, we would like the West to call a spade a spade. This is ethnic cleansing, no matter how hard they try to hide it and embellish it with false ideas of reintegration.”
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