The self-proclaimed separatist republic of Nagorno-Karabakh will proceed with its own dissolution on January 1, its president announced on Thursday, September 28, a week after the victorious offensive by Azerbaijani forces which ended one of the oldest “conflicts frozen” of the former USSR.
Samvel Chakhramanian’s decree announces the dissolution “of all governmental institutions and organizations (…) on January 1, 2024” and establishes that as a result “the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh [Artsakh, by its Armenian name] ceases to exist “.
The Armenian separatists suffered a military defeat in twenty-four hours which forced them to capitulate to Azerbaijan on Wednesday September 20, from which they seceded after the fall of the USSR more than thirty years ago.
Armenia, which supported them during these decades, did not intervene militarily this time, paving the way for the reintegration of the enclave into the territory of Azerbaijan.
Yerevan denounces ethnic cleansing
The Armenian population of the enclave has, for its part, begun an exodus. About 65,000 people, half of its 120,000 population, fled within days, fearing Azerbaijani reprisals, although Baku promised to respect their rights.
In his decree dissolving the self-proclaimed republic, the separatist leader emphasizes that once the conditions for the region’s return to Azerbaijan’s control are known, residents and refugees will be able to “individually make the decision to stay or return in Nagorno-Karabakh”.
“The exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh continues. Our analysis shows that in the coming days there will be no more Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is an act of ethnic cleansing against which we had warned the international community,” said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
