Switzerland is stepping up its support for Nagorno-Karabakh civilians in Armenia by releasing almost CHF 1.5 million (around $1.6 million) in funding, to be shared among the main humanitarian actors on the ground, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday, October 4.
“In less than a week, more than 100,000 people from Nagorno-Karabakh have fled to Armenia and face now challenging humanitarian circumstances. The Armenian authorities are working to host these people in the best possible conditions, particularly in view of the coming winter,” the statement says.
“Faced with this emergency, the FDFA has decided to release almost CHF 1.5 million to support humanitarian efforts on the ground, of which CHF 500,000 will be allocated to the ICRC. The remainder will be divided among the main UN actors on the ground in the next few days. This additional funding comes on top of the CHF 1 million already granted to the ICRC by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for its operations in the region in 2023.”
On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. As of October 1, over 100,500 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.
