More than 28 thousand refugees arrived in Armenia and Azerbaijan is optimistic after “constructive” consultations with Armenia | outside

The two spoke at the invitation of the Chairman of the Council of Heads of Government of the European Union, Charles Michel, who has been mediating in the Caucasus for some time. It was also attended by the German and French National Security Advisers and the European Union representative in the region. Michel’s foreign advisor was the host. A meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is scheduled for October 5 in Granada, Spain, in the presence of Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This meeting had been planned for some time.

Azerbaijan invaded Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenian separatists ruled for decades, last week. Thousands of Armenian residents fled. Nearly 30,000 refugees have already arrived in Armenia. Last week, the Armenian Prime Minister said that his country is preparing to receive 40,000 refugees – 2.9 million people live in Armenia.

In Nagorno-Karabakh, there is great fear of the new rulers, and the humanitarian situation is very tense. The European Commission today announced €5 million in humanitarian aid to people affected by the conflict. The first installment of 500,000 euros was announced last week. About 25,000 people are supposed to benefit from the aid.

Azerbaijan opened the only corridor from the enclave to Armenia on Sunday, four days after the Armenian separatists surrendered. Azerbaijan launched a military operation last week to control the disputed region.

At the last Azerbaijani border point, a long line of cars carrying refugees and their most important possessions arrives on the roof. Some pass through the border post on foot. The inspection carried out by the Azerbaijanis does not take long: the soldiers look in the bags, look in the car and do not ask for an ID card. The examination takes a little longer for men: they have to stand in front of a surveillance camera.

An Azerbaijani government source said that a search was underway for “possible war crimes perpetrators” amid the influx of refugees. This was said to be the reason why males in their twenties and thirties were photographed at the last border point.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday that the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh will be “guaranteed.”