The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh, predominantly comprised of ethnic Armenians, announced on Saturday that the ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan is currently in progress. Efforts are underway for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the safe evacuation of the wounded.

Earlier, representatives of Karabakh Armenians engaged in another round of discussions with Azerbaijani officials in the town of Shusha. These talks occurred three days following the declaration of the ceasefire, which followed a 24-hour offensive by Baku, resulting in Azerbaijan regaining control of the mountainous region.

The Karabakh Armenians have reported that work is actively being carried out to restore electricity supplies by September 24. Additionally, their statement referred to ongoing “political consultations” regarding the future of the region, which they refer to as Artsakh, and its 120,000 Armenian residents.

Russia’s defense ministry confirmed that, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, Armenian separatists have initiated the process of handing over their weapons to Azerbaijan. This includes over 800 firearms and six armored vehicles. Russia currently maintains 2,000 peacekeepers in the area.

Armenians have been grappling with severe shortages of food and fuel due to a months-long de facto blockade imposed by Azerbaijan. In response, an aid convoy from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) entered Karabakh on Saturday. This marked the first such convoy since Baku’s offensive.

According to the ICRC, the convoy transported nearly 70 metric tons of humanitarian supplies, including wheat flour, salt, and sunflower oil, along the Lachin corridor, which serves as the sole road link connecting Armenia to Karabakh. The ICRC team also facilitated the evacuation of 17 individuals wounded during the conflict.

Separately, Russia announced that it has delivered over 50 metric tons of food and other aid to Karabakh.

Since July, more than 20 other aid trucks bearing Armenian license plates have been positioned along a nearby roadside. At the time, Azerbaijan regarded this convoy as a “provocation” and an encroachment on its territorial integrity.

Azerbaijan seeks to integrate the long-disputed region of Karabakh and has pledged to safeguard the rights of its Armenian residents. However, Armenians express concerns about potential persecution if they choose to remain.

Azerbaijan’s interior ministry emphasized that its primary mission is to ensure the safety of the Armenian civilian population, offering them tents, hot meals, and medical assistance. The ministry is also actively involved in the issuance of documents, including passports, to the Armenian population.

U.S. Senator Gary Peters, who visited the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on Saturday, called for international observers and greater transparency from Azerbaijan regarding the situation in Karabakh. He stated, “We’ve heard from the Azerbaijani government that there’s… nothing to worry about, but if that’s the case, then we should allow international observers in to see.”

Armenia has made arrangements to accommodate tens of thousands of Armenians from Karabakh, including providing lodging near the border. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has expressed his desire for them to remain in their homes unless absolutely necessary.

The recent hostilities commenced when Azerbaijan launched an “anti-terrorist operation” in response to what it claimed were separatist attacks that resulted in the deaths of some of its troops.

Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijan’s president, disclosed on social media a list of weapons and ammunition seized in the past three days, including four tanks, 300 explosives, and 441 mortar shells.

Accounts of the conflict have been deeply unsettling. Armenui Karapetyan, an Armenian residing in Karabakh, recounted his current homelessness, carrying only a few belongings and a photograph of his 24-year-old son who passed away in 2020 after leaving their home in the village of Kusapat.

Karapetyan lamented, “Today we were thrown out into the street — they made us vagabonds. What can I say? We live in an unfair, abandoned world. I have nothing to say. I feel sorry for the blood of our boys. I feel sorry for our lands for which our boys sacrificed their lives and today… I miss the grave of my son.”

Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have gathered at the airport, seeking the protection of Russian peacekeepers stationed there.

Svetlana Alaverdyan, hailing from the village of Arajadzor, described her flight from the village amid gunfire, saying, “They were shooting on the right, they were shooting on the left — we went out one after another, without taking clothes.”

Source: With Agencies