BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 8
Trend:
The situation after the Karabakh conflict is on the agenda of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Azerbaijan, a source in the office told Trend.
According to the source, the UNHCR in Azerbaijan is in close contact with the Azerbaijani authorities to further discuss the role that UNHCR can play in the return of IDPs.
“As the UN Refugee Agency, we have been supporting displaced persons in the region since the 1990s. In line with our mandated responsibilities, we stand ready to assist conflict-displaced persons, including returning IDPs, in close coordination with national We are in contact with the authorities to further discuss the role of UNHCR in the return of displaced persons in accordance with the ceasefire declaration of November 9, 2020 signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia,” the UNHCR office representatives said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia’s PM, and the president of Russia.