Armenia says hasn't discussed return of refugees with Russia, Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan – the parties to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 – have not discussed the return of refugees displaced in the Second Karabakh War to their permanent places of residence, Hetq reports citing the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The seventh point of the statement says that "internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the control of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees."

According to the Foreign Ministry, the Armenian side has stressed the importance of the return of all Karabakh residents displaced as a result of the 44-day war in fall 2020. As a result of Azerbaijan's aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) more than 91,000 people, 88% of whom were women and children, were displaced. Some of them have returned in the post-war period and settled in communities protected by the Russian peacekeeping force.

"The creation of conditions for the dignified return of Artsakh Armenians, deported from settlements under the control of Azerbaijan due to the 44-day war in Artsakh, to their original places of residence is a priority," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9, 2020 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.