Armenian Envoy to the EU Calls for 'Decisive Action' from the West Against Azerbaijan

With over 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh fleeing, Armenia on Monday urged the European Union to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan, warning that if the West does not act decisively, Baku may soon attack Armenia itself. After months of blockade of the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijan took control of the separatist area in a military offensive. Following this action, more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have left their historical homeland and entered Armenia. Previous estimates indicated that about 120,000 people resided in the region. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the emigration of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh as "ethnic cleansing and deprivation of people from their homeland". Azerbaijan has denied the accusation of ethnic cleansing against Armenians, claiming that the mass exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh is their "personal and individual choice". Images shared on social media show the streets of the region empty and filled with garbage. Many residents of Nagorno-Karabakh say they left their homes and region out of fear of harassment from Azerbaijani forces. Tigran Balayan, Armenia's envoy to the EU, listed potential actions such as imposing a price cap on oil and gas for Azerbaijan and suspending EU negotiations for closer relations with Baku as proposed measures against Baku. He also urged the West to provide "bold" security assistance to Armenia. Many American lawmakers have called for sanctions against Azerbaijan following Baku's military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian Prime Minister previously stated that reliance on Russia was a "strategic mistake" and that Armenia is diversifying its security relations. Pashinyan mentioned in mid-September that Moscow failed to fulfill its security guarantees and is reducing its role in the region. Balayan, in an interview with Reuters in Brussels published on Monday, October 2, stated: "This is not only the opinion of the Armenian government but also the view of many experts - as well as some EU member states - that an attack on Armenia is imminent." Earlier in October, Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, expressed regret alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that former Soviet officials gave part of what he claimed should have been Azerbaijani territory to Armenia. Azerbaijan seeks to establish a land corridor from the mainland to Nakhchivan, with Armenia situated between the two and sharing a border with Iran. The meeting between Aliyev and Erdogan took place in the autonomous region of Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan. Nakhchivan is a small area between Armenia, Iran, and Turkey. Aliyev threatened in 2021 that such a corridor would be created "whether Armenia wants it or not". Iranian officials have stated without clear explanation that they oppose changes to regional borders and the cutting of the land border between Iran and Armenia. This report is compiled using information from Reuters, The Hill, and the Associated Press. The United States has firmly declared its support for Armenia's territorial integrity. Aliyev's claim during the meeting with Erdogan: part of Armenia should have been part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani forces arrested the former leader of the separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan: We do not want the emigration of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.