Ethnic Armenians Flee Nagorno-Karabakh, Signaling Potential End of 36-Year Conflict

The 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh are fleeing for Armenia, signaling the potential closure of a 36-year-long territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Details: Officials from the Armenian breakaway Republic of Artsakh, whose territory sits in internationally recognized Azerbaijan, have said Armenians will flee instead of being integrated into Azeri society, as offered by Azerbaijan’s government. After a large-scale Azeri military offensive left approximately 200 dead last week, and a 10-month blockade of a corridor that links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, Artsakh’s government is close to collapse. Russian peacekeeping forces are assisting in evacuations and distribution of humanitarian aid.

For Context: According to Wikipedia, the conflict has claimed 40,000-50,000 lives since 1988. Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, while Armenia exited the CSTO in 1999. Both have ongoing diplomatic relations with the U.S. The significant developments come amidst geopolitical tensions in the Caucasus region, and ongoing media dialogue that Armenia is beginning to drift from Russia’s diplomatic orbit.

Key Quote: David Babayan, an adviser to Samvel Shahramanyan, president of Artsakh, told Reuters, "Our people do not want to live as part of Azerbaijan. Ninety-nine point nine percent prefer to leave our historic lands.” Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, said, “Our government will lovingly welcome our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh.”

How The Media Covered It: As is common with international stories, the news was covered mostly by outlets from the left and center. Some outlets on the right included wire coverage from AFP or Associated Press (Lean Left bias).

Editor's Note: An earlier version erroneously stated that Azerbaijan was still a member of the CSTO.