EPATens of thousands of Armenians flee from the enclave
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 05:00
Eliane Lamper
editor Online
Eliane Lamper
editor Online
After almost thirty years, the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave will cease to exist. Now that the area is being taken over by Azerbaijan, and tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have to flee their homes, much of the area’s centuries-old history will be lost.
The self-declared republic will be dissolved from the new year, the Karabakh leader announced today. Although the area in Azerbaijan was not recognized as an independent state by any country, it did have its own government and almost exclusively ethnic Armenians lived there.
On the map the enclave is just a small strip of land in the Caucasus, but symbolically the area has great significance. Armenian homes, schools and government institutions will soon be gone. “The everyday life of the residents will be erased,” says Tsolin Nalbantian, university lecturer and researcher into the Armenian diaspora at Leiden University.
“There will no longer be any evidence that you obtained your driver’s license or diploma there. The Armenian language, which is seen as a threat, will also disappear completely.” With the end of Nagorno-Karabakh, a rich history of Armenian heritage will be lost, such as centuries-old churches, monasteries and cemeteries.
Ethnic cleansing and genocide
The area has been inhabited by Armenians for hundreds of years. One hundred years ago, Nagorno-Karabakh was founded as an independent administrative region of Azerbaijan, in the then Soviet Union. As that empire’s power crumbled, the region wanted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia.
Periods of bloody conflict followed in the 1980s and 1990s, in which at least 30,000 people died. A ceasefire was reached in 1994 after mediation by Russia. It became an autonomous region, led by Armenians from the area and with its own elections. In 2020, war broke out again when Azerbaijan opened the attack and took over swathes of land.
NOSThe South Caucasus with Nagorno-Karabakh in the middle
It is now expected that all 120,000 Armenians will flee from the enclave. It seems impossible that they will ever return to their homes and personal belongings. “We are seeing an ethnic cleansing taking place before our eyes,” Nalbantian said. “Azeris will now start living there. The evidence that Armenians have lived there all along will disappear.”
Time and time again, Armenian communities were expelled from their residential areas. The Armenian genocide took place in 1915, which is recognized as such by most Western countries. Shortly before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, they were deported and executed en masse. According to historians, about 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the area that is now Turkey.
‘Strong sense of community’
The vast majority of Armenians live in the diaspora, with large communities in countries such as the United States and France, and cities such as Istanbul and Beirut. Nearly three million people live in Armenia, eleven million Armenians live abroad.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is being closely monitored by Armenians worldwide. “In these times of need, there is a strong sense of community among them,” says Nalbantian. “Armenians all over the world are mourning the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh. They are shocked by this ethnic cleansing.”
Russia correspondent Iris de Graaf:
“It is of course not a voluntary decision; after that one-day war last week, Azerbaijan demanded that the Karabakhs lay down their weapons and that the separatist government disband. Karabakhs are now telling me: ‘This is the worst day of our lives. Almost everyone leaves, and must leave behind their family graves and home.’ Although Azerbaijan says people can stay, there is a lot of fear that they will be deported or forcibly assimilated.”
Internationally, few countries are concerned about the fate of the Karabakhs. Although the West and allies Russia and Iran have condemned Azerbaijan’s attack, no action has been taken. “That is also part of this tragedy, when it comes to Armenians, people look the other way internationally.”
All refugees from the enclave will be received in Armenia, Prime Minister Pashinyan promised. “They will be welcomed there, there is no doubt about that,” Nalbantian said. But there is also a feeling of insecurity in Armenia. “They see this happening before their eyes and wonder if it will be their turn next.”
“We are gone from Karabakh for good,” says an Armenian resident on the flight:
Fleeing bombs and violence: Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh
2023-09-29 03:00:01
#NagornoKarabakh #Armenians #losing #land #heritage
