Author: Arbi Tashjian

Asbarez: Catholicos Aram I Raises Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenians with House Speaker Mike Johnson

Arbi Tashjian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories
His Holiness Aram I led Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada in meetings on Capitol Hill.


Highlights Plight of Artsakh Armenians in Opening Prayer of U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, on Thursday called for American leadership in aiding Artsakh’s 100,000 Armenian Christian refugees, during discussions with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a dozen other members of Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“We warmly welcome His Holiness Aram I’s constructive consultations with Congressional leaders – among them Speaker Johnson and former Speaker Pelosi,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A global ambassador for Armenian aspirations and inter-faith understanding, His Holiness represents a powerful voice for justice in Washington and in capitals around the world.”

Aram meets with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Adam Schiff, and US House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, prior to offering today’s opening prayer Aram I speaking with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Rep. Anna Eshoo and His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian look on

The Armenian pontiff was on Capitol Hill at the invitation of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and served as Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

After a meeting in the Capitol with Speaker Johnson, Rep. Schiff, and U.S. House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, His Holiness Aram I offered the opening prayer at today’s U.S. House of Representatives session.  In his prayer, he noted, “Help us, God of Mercy, remember in our prayers more than one hundred thousand Armenian refugees who were recently forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh, their centuries old homeland…” The prayer was televised on CSPAN.

In remarks on the U.S. House floor, Rep. Schiff welcomed His Holiness Aram I to Congress, noting that “his unwavering commitment to the values of faith, community, and compassion embodies the spirit of our vibrant Armenian community.”  Rep. Schiff went on to stress that His Holiness Aram I’s “support for humanitarian issues, advocacy for human rights, engagement in several educational and cultural initiatives, and promotion of interfaith understanding have left an indelible mark making the world a better place for all.”

Following the prayer, His Holiness Aram I met with Speaker Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), at a reception hosted by the ANCA. His Holiness also met separately with Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL).  The Armenian pontiff praised members of the Congressional Armenian Staff Association in attendance, for their efforts to educate elected officials on Armenian American concerns.

Aram I led Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada in meetings on Capitol Hill Aram I with Members of Congress, Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada, and ANCA advocates. Aram I led Armenian clergy in singing a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer in Armenian at the Capitol Prayer Room, adjacent to the rotunda.

Prior to leaving the Capitol, His Holiness Aram I led fellow clergy in a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, sung in Armenian in the Congressional Prayer Room near the rotunda in the United States Capitol.

During his visit to the U.S. Capitol, Catholicos Aram I was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian, Prelate of the Canadian Prelacy; His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar General of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, head of the Catholicosate Media Department; Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian, head of the Middle East and Christian-Islam dialogue section of the Ecumenical Department of the Catholicosate; Mr. Stepan Der Bedrosian, co-chair of the Central Executive Council of the Catholicosate; Leaders of the Executive Councils of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy, Western U.S. Prelacy, and Canadian Prelacy; as well ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and members of the ANCA Washington DC Staff.

His Holiness Aram I arrived in Washington, DC earlier this week, the first stop in his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, continuing his mission to revitalize Diasporan life through the various fields of activity of the Cilician Catholicosate prelacies.

Pashinyan presents “Crossroads of Peace,” pursuing regional connectivity

Arbi Tashjian
November 1, 2023 Hoory Minoyan News 0

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s speech during the Silk Road International Conference in Tbilisi (Photo: Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia)

YEREVAN—Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the “Silk Road” international conference in Tbilisi on October 26, along with other high-ranking officials and representatives from various countries and international organizations, where he presented Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” project, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and connectivity.

PM Pashinyan began by highlighting the historical significance of the Silk Road, symbolizing prosperity, peace and cooperation among nations. Pashinyan stressed the vital role of open roads in building and maintaining peace, stating that the South Caucasus region, including Armenia, needs peace, open borders, and strong economic, political and cultural ties.

The “Crossroads of Peace” project, according to Pashinyan, aims to enhance communication between Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran through infrastructure development, including roads, railways, pipelines, cables and electricity lines. He pointed out that some regional railways and highways have been inactive for 30 years, and reactivating them could establish efficient routes connecting the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean.

Pashinyan invited governments and private investors to consider the project, emphasizing its potential benefits for all countries in the region. He stated that all infrastructures would operate under the sovereignty of the countries through which they pass, with border and customs control ensured by each country, promoting reciprocity and equality. This approach appears to be a direct response to Azerbaijan’s demand for control over the “Zangezur corridor.”

The operation of the “Zangezur transit corridor” remains a top priority for Azerbaijan. Baku’s goal is to establish transit between Azerbaijan and its Nakhichevan exclave, which requires access to the “Zangezur corridor” through Armenia. Azerbaijan aims for minimal security checks, tariffs and transit fees, potentially pressuring Armenia into accepting its terms.

The Armenian PM also discussed Armenia’s readiness to work on peace and normalization agreements with Azerbaijan, emphasizing mutual recognition of territorial integrity and border delimitation based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. 

Pashinyan underlined the alignment of the “Crossroads of Peace” project with the Silk Road’s logic and expressed Armenia’s readiness to facilitate safe transportation of people, vehicles, goods and infrastructure. 

On the other hand, Azerbaijani officials like Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev recently confirmed that military annexation of the “Zangezur corridor” is “no longer their objective.” Instead, according to Hajiyev, Azerbaijan is focusing on building transportation connections through Iran. Construction of a new road in partnership with Iran has already begun. However, the possibility of maintaining a transport link between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through Armenia still depends on Armenia’s willingness, without extraterritorial concessions, to allow Azerbaijan to bypass Armenian border controls, Hajiyev said.

Following this reasoning, Aliyev issued a decree regarding the ongoing efforts to link the Horadiz-Jabrail-Zangilan-Agband highway with Iran and the construction of a bridge over the Araz River. The State Highway Agency has been allocated 14 million manats from the presidential reserve fund for these initiatives.

As Pashinyan flip-flops Armenia’s diplomatic relationships with its traditional allies such as Russia and introduces what he sees as novel concepts, Azerbaijan’s decision to abstain from engaging in discussions aimed at advancing the peace process and its ongoing military maneuvers alongside Turkey, its closest ally, imply that Azerbaijan lacks the desire to reach a peaceful settlement. Such an agreement, according to Pashinyan, should ideally be grounded in three fundamental principles: the mutual acknowledgment of each other’s territorial integrity, the delineation and marking of borders as per the Alma-Ata Declaration, and the opening of all regional communications under the sovereign authority of the concerned parties.

All the while, state representatives and international organizations such as the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Stratfor Forecasting Inc. have warned of new escalations in the region. 

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has issued a Red Flag Alert regarding the potential for Azerbaijan to invade Armenia, particularly its southern Syunik Province. This invasion could be driven by the desire to create a land corridor connecting Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan, a goal shared with Turkey, posing a significant threat to Armenia’s territorial integrity. Recent political developments, including the seizure of Artsakh by Azerbaijan and well-established Armenophobia in the region, raise concerns about a potential genocide. These fears stem from a pattern of massacre, atrocity and forced displacement targeting Armenian identity.

Despite the potential risks, there is a growing concern that Azerbaijan might resort to force. Several factors contribute to this possibility, including Azerbaijan’s military advantage, belief in a limited international response, distractions in the global community and President Ilham Aliyev’s confidence in military success.

Stratfor reports that Azerbaijan is more likely to pursue smaller territorial incursions and cross-border shelling to pressure Armenia into an agreement, rather than a full-scale invasion to seize southern Armenia and establish the “Zangezur corridor” by force. Recent statements and missed meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani officials reflect growing tensions and divergent geopolitical orientations.

Azerbaijan could continue with smaller-scale incursions and shelling, considering that a full-scale invasion could lead to greater risks and complications. Azerbaijan already maintains alternative transit routes and would risk regional stability, Turkish support and international consequences by launching a major invasion.

Armenia and Azerbaijan’s leaders have not met for significant discussions since July, and both countries appear to be aligning with different geopolitical partners. Armenia’s Prime Minister Pashinyan signaled a desire to reorient Armenia’s foreign policy toward the West during an address to the European Parliament on October 17, while Azerbaijan seeks regional support for its vision of a peace settlement, including from Turkey, Russia and Iran. 

Given the factors mentioned above, the world appears to face conflicting viewpoints and disagreements at a critical “crossroad,” making it challenging to evaluate the current and future developments. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced, “This marks a pivotal moment for the region. We are on the verge of either a major conflict or significant peace.”

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Hoory Minoyan was an active member of the Armenian community in Los Angeles until she moved to Armenia prior to the 44-day war. She graduated with a master's in International Affairs from Boston University, where she was also the recipient of the William R. Keylor Travel Grant. The research and interviews she conducted while in Armenia later became the foundation of her Master’s thesis, “Shaping Identity Through Conflict: The Armenian Experience.” Hoory continues to follow her passion for research and writing by contributing to the Armenian Weekly.


Yerevan Again Vows to Sign ‘Peace Treaty’ with Baku; Normalize Ties with Ankara

Arbi Tashjian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again vowed on Monday that his government plans to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and normalize Armenia’s relations with Turkey.

“Signing a treaty on peace and normalization of relations with Azerbaijan, and the normalization of relations with Turkey is in our plans. As much as we realize that this won’t be easy, moving forward with this plan is in the state interest of Armenia,” Pashinyan told members of the parliament’s budget committee.

In the collapsing world order, the only tool for ensuring Armenia’s security is the identification of the homeland with the state, its territory, internationally recognized borders and territorial integrity, Pashinyan said.

“The key, practical issue stemming from this perception, as strange as it may sound, is the realization of the state’s geographic location, and before the global discussion on East-West, North-South, I find it important to realize that we are situated in the South Caucasian region, we have four neighbors, and all the main threats and possibilities that we could have are hidden in the relations with them. In this regard, the further deepening of the friendly and cooperative nature of relations with Georgia and Iran are also important,” Pashinyan explained.

He announced that the three main principles of normalization of relations and peace with Azerbaijan have been agreed upon and the signing of a peace treaty will be realistic if both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides remain committed to these principles.

Pashinyan explained that the three principles are:
The mutual recognition by Armenia and Azerbaijan of each other’s territorial integrity, with the understanding that Armenia’s territory is 29,800 square km and Azerbaijan’s 86,600 square km. These numbers are taken from the latest USSR encyclopedias. The demarcation and delimitation will be carried out during further discussions and agreements.
Agreement by the parties agree to carry out delimitation based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, which means that the administrative borders that existed between the Armenian SSR and Azerbaijani SSR have become the state borders between the two countries when the USSR collapsed. The inviolability of these borders is recognized by the parties based on the Alma-Ata Declaration.
The opening of the regional connections based on the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the sides, and the regional connections will function on the basis of reciprocity and equality. The Armenian government has presented its position in the Crossroads of Peace concept in this regard.

“The presence of maps recording the situation when the Alma-Ata Declaration was adopted is of key importance in the delimitation process. Essentially, the parties have the maps that reflect those realities. Thus, in case of political will by the sides it is possible to swiftly and effectively move forward in this process as well,” Pashinyan added.

Pashinyan also expressed hope that the Armenia-Turkey land border will soon open to citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders.

“Speaking about the Armenia-Turkey relations, I’d like to express hope that soon we will have the implementation of the agreements reached as a result of the discussions and negotiations between the special representatives, which pertains to the following: At this phase the Armenia-Turkey border gets opened for citizens of third countries and diplomatic passport holders,” Pashinyan said.

“In addition to the political agreement, significant infrastructure work has been done. In particular, we worked in the Margara checkpoint in the direction of re-equipping and restoring it and in this regard, we are already ready for such developments. We hope that these agreements get implemented,” Pashinyan explained.

The Armenian leader said that the tense international situation has created serious threats for Armenia, “but the skillful management of these threats could create equally serious possibilities for the country.”

“The international situation has escalated significantly over the past two years,” Pashinyan said. “The likelihood of a nuclear war has become a serious topic of discussion among politicians and experts.”

“We are living in conditions of a collapsing world order that existed since the end of the Cold War. This situation creates serious threats for Armenia, but the skillful management of these threats could create equally serious possibilities for our state,” Pashinyan said.

He advanced that notion of equating homeland to statehood, saying discussion on these important issue is on his government’s national security agenda.

Pashinyan said that adjusting the conceptual foundations of the statehood is of key importance.

He went on to advance a new concept: “The homeland is the state. If you love your homeland, strengthen your state.”

New Armenian Orthodox bishop in Iraq ordained for the first time in four decades

Arbi Tashjian
RUDAW
Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Oct 25 2023

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – In the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, the Armenian Orthodox community in Iraq celebrated the ordination of a new bishop on Monday for the first time in over four decades.

Archimandrite Oshagan Gulgulian, head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iraq, told Rudaw that he was "very grateful" for his election as the new Armenian Orthodox community bishop in Iraq.

“After 42 years, it was the first time that an election took place, … because Iraq was facing some difficulties and there were not many candidates as well,” he added.

Gulgulian stressed his commitment to the Armenian Orthodox community's spiritual principles and values while calling for peace among all Iraqi religious and ethnic groups.

The new bishop of Armenian Lebanese origin was elected among three other candidates to lead Iraq’s Armenian Orthodox community.

“We try our best to keep up with the pace of developments in life and in general, and we thought that in the presence of a young bishop, new ideas would certainly be introduced,” Karpet Kaustyan, chairman of the Central Administrative Committee of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iraq, told Rudaw on Monday. 

Until 2004, Basra was home to around 350 Armenian families. Today, fewer than 150 families still live there. Similarly, only three of the 120 families who used to live in Mosul in the past, remain in the city today, and the number of Armenians in Baghdad has plummeted from 6,000 to 500. This is all due to successive wars, instability, and violence against the ethnic minority group.

Armenians consider themselves as being prevented from exercising their rights and they have repeatedly called on the ruling authorities of Iraq to assign them a seat in parliament, like other minority groups already have.

Unlike other parts of Iraq, the Kurdistan Region has become a safe haven for Armenians and other minority groups who have fled displacement and violence in other parts of the country.

The Constitution of the Kurdistan Region recognizes Armenians as an ethnic component, provides the right to mother-tongue education in the Armenian language, and reserves one seat in parliament for Armenians.

There are six Armenian churches in the Kurdistan Region – four in Duhok province, one in Erbil and one in Kirkuk.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/25102023

Armenpress: Tigran Avinyan sworn in as Mayor of Yerevan

Arbi Tashjian

 10:35,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Tigran Avinyan was sworn in as Mayor of Yerevan during an inauguration ceremony on October 13.

Avinyan took the oath of office with his hand on the 782 BCE Erebuni-Yerevan foundation cuneiform inscription.

President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan, Cabinet ministers, foreign ambassadors and other officials attended the inauguration.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan congratulated Avinyan on assuming office.

“These elections showed a very important thing, the irreversible democracy in Armenia. The entire process of the elections was certainly tense, but the democratic essence of the elections and Armenia was not anyhow shadowed, and this is highly important,” Pashinyan said.

The elections also once again showed the ruling Civil Contract party’s unwavering commitment to the values of the 2018 revolution, the primary goal of which was to empower the citizens to form the governing institutions and bodies.




UNHCR representative briefs in PACE on a special program for forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh

Arbi Tashjian

 12:23,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, ARMENPRESS. In the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Committees on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Migration and Monitoring held joint hearings on the topic "Human rights and humanitarian situation of Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijan's international obligations,” First Channel News reports.

 

During the discussion at the European Institutes of Strasbourg, Andreas Wissner has been UNHCR's Representative to the European Institutions in Strasbourg, presented facts about the displacement of the population of Nagorno Karabakh. He reminded that 100,632 refugees, including 30,000 children, received asylum in Armenia, which means that one out of every 30 people there is a newly arrived refugee. After the war in 2020, about 35,000 more refugees settled in Armenia.

 

"Newly arrived refugees are mostly confused and worried about their future. They don't know what will happen to their homes. They don't know if they will be able to return one day. They do not know if their children will have access to education. Most of the refugees have taken almost nothing with them and are in immediate need of basic necessities such as blankets, bedding, medicine, psychosocial support and shelter. Many, both children and adults, have been traumatized and need psychological support. Many are worried about their elderly relatives who could not or did not want to leave their homes and their pets", Wissner said.

 

He said, the Armenian government has made consistent and commendable efforts to register the new arrivals and meet their growing needs.

 

The representative of the UN office emphasized the support provided by his organization to Armenia and the Armenian refugees, at the same time, noting that there is a need to continue the support from the international community. He informed that on October 7, a "Refugee Response Program" was presented to organize the fundraising. According to the program, the international community plans to collect USD 97 million to organize support for people. The program is designed to complement the efforts of the Republic of Armenia government and other international actors to support Armenian refugees.

Ferrahian School Organizes 27-Mile Walk to Raise Awareness About Artsakh Crisis

Arbi Tashjian
by Contributor

 

 October 3, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School community has organized a walk, set for Oct. 6, to raise awareness about the current crisis in Artsakh

As the Armenians in Artsakh are living one of the most tragic moments in the Armenian nation’s history, it is imperative for diaspora Armenians to stay united and find ways to raise awareness. 

Armenians living in Artsakh are experiencing a near ethnic cleansing and it is difficult to merely sit back and watch as their fate continues to diminish. 

The Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School community has taken the forefront in raising awareness about the events taking place in Artsakh by conducting a student, teacher, and staff-led 27-mile walk from its school campus in Encino, California to the Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello. 

It is imperative for the Los Angeles Armenian community to join the Ferrahian High School community on Friday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Montebello, to show support for not only our brothers and sisters in Artsakh, but to the greater Holy Martyrs Ferrahian family. As the Ferrahian community continues to take a stand, they believe it is the diaspora’s responsibility to be on the forefront of the Armenian Cause.

Armenian Prime Minister invited to deliver speech at European Parliament plenary session

Arbi Tashjian

 16:25, 5 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola has invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to deliver a speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, TASS reports.

“I met Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan today in Granada and I invited him to deliver a speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament,” TASS quoted Metsola as saying ahead of the European Political Community summit.

She did not specify the timeframe of Pashinyan’s expected visit to the European Parliament but said it would take place in a few weeks.

Metsola said that Armenia is in need of EU support.

“Armenia needs our support and help to overcome the current humanitarian crisis which was caused because thousands of people left Nagorno-Karabakh,” the President of the European Parliament said.

Armenia submits request to ECHR to oblige Baku to provide complete data on prisoners of war and civilians

Arbi Tashjian

 19:13, 5 October 2023

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters Yeghishe Kirakosyan applied to the European Court of Human Rights on October 4, based on Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, to ensure the protection of the rights of all representatives of the former and current leadership of Nagorno Karabakh, guaranteed by Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention, also demanding to oblige Azerbaijan to release them immediately.

“Armenpress” learned from the Facebook page of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters that, based on a number of videos circulated on social networks, he asked the Court to oblige Azerbaijan to provide informationand complete data about the prisoners of war and civilians who are under its control.

Karabakh emergency escalates, thousands still pouring into Armenia: UN agencies

Arbi Tashjian
United Nations
Sept 29 2023
Humanitarian Aid

Over 88,000 refugees from the Karabakh region have fled to Armenia in less than a week and humanitarian needs are surging, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.

Some 65,000 have already been registered at Government-run centres where long lines have formed.

Late on Friday, UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi tweeted that more than 100,000 refugees had now arrived in Armenia from Karabakh. 

The agency is supporting the refugees with core relief items, said agency representative in Armenia Kavita Belani, who has been on the ground since day one of the crisis.

“People are tired. This is a situation where they’ve lived under nine months of blockade. When they come in, they’re full of anxiety, they’re scared, they’re frightened and they want answers as to what’s going to happen next.”

Ms. Belani said that the most urgent needs included psychosocial support, medication and shelter for everybody, given the high volume of arrivals, as well as targeted support for the most vulnerable: the elderly and children.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) told reporters in Geneva that 30 per cent of those arriving are minors and many have been separated from their families.

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UNICEF is working with the authorities to make sure that family tracing is done right away so that the youngsters can be reunited with their relatives.

UNHCR is leading the inter-agency refugee response and coordination to complement the Armenian Government’s efforts, Ms. Belani said, and an appeal for funding is being finalized.

She stressed that while the response plan was for a duration of six months, the UN was already thinking of longer-term support to help Armenia integrate the new arrivals.

Earlier this week, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, reiterated her “strong concern” over the ongoing situation and called for “all efforts to be made” to ensure the protection and human rights of the ethnic Armenian population who remain in the area and of those who have left.

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A major concern for humanitarians is that many children have been separated from their families, said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director and Special Coordinator for Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe.

“So we are working in providing first of all psychosocial support and working with the ministries and local authorities as well to make sure that family-tracing is done immediately and families can unite,” 

Since Sunday, Armenian villages near the border with the Karabakh region have turned into makeshift refugee camps.

Some of those seeking shelter had only minutes to pack to leave by cars, buses and construction trucks, they said.  While many refugees expressed relief at reaching Armenia from Azerbaijan, they remain traumatized and confused about the future, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“It was so evident on everyone – children, men, women, elderly – the expressions on the faces of those who walk into registration points speak volumes,” said IFRC’s Hicham Diab, speaking from Armenia’s capital Yerevan.

“Each face tells a story of hardship, but also of hope, knowing they are in a place where they can receive aid.”

The desperate situation was compounded by an explosion on Monday at a fuel depot in the Karabakh region that killed at least 68 people, according to local authorities.

An additional 105 people are still missing following the blast, which reportedly occurred as many people were lining up to get fuel to help them leave.

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“The priority of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in recent days has been on life-saving activities, including the transfer of the wounded to hospitals into Armenia for treatment and bringing in medical supplies,” said Carlos Morazzani, ICRC Operations Manager.

“Over the past week we have transferred around 130 people for medical care and after the explosion…we increased our engagement with all regional authorities.”

The UN team in Armenia, led by acting Resident Coordinator Nanna Skau, is working with the Government to support the rapidly rising influx.

According to the latest official figures around 93,000 people have crossed into Armenia. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is supporting thousands of women in transit centres in the southeastern regions of Syunik and Vayots Dzor with 8,000 dignity kits, including drinking water, sanitary pads and soap.

Some 150,000 health kits have been distributed to support refugees and host communities.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has placed two mobile warehouses in Goris for non-food storage and a mobile kitchen serving up to 3,000 people every day.

The agency’s also delivered around 4,000 food parcels  to support 16,000 people in need in the Syunik region.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) says it is preparing to launch a psychosocial support scheme to cover the needs of over 12,000 refugees.

Briefing correspondents at UN Headquarters the UN Spokesperson announced the Azerbaijani Government had agreed to allow the deployment of a UN mission to the Karabakh region, due to take place over the weekend.

It marks the first time in around 30 years that UN teams have gained access, he said.

Led by a senior official from the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) and the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, Mr. Dujarric said it would include a technical team from OCHA.

“It’s very important that we will be able to get in”, he added.

“While there, the team will seek to assess the situation on the ground and identify the humanitarian needs with both for both people remaining and the people that are on the move.”