More than 36,000 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh applied for refugee status in Armenia, the country's Interior Ministry reveals.
Beginning from January 28, forcibly displaced people traveling abroad must carry a refugee status document along with their passport.
As of January 16, the Ministry said, 28,490 people have already received temporary protection (refugee) certificates, and more than 35,000 certificates have been printed.
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 28, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) would cease to exist by January 1, 2024. Over 100,000 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.
