Armenia`s Deputy FM, IFRC and Red Cross Society Reps discuss needs of  Artsakh refugees

ArmInfo. On October 12, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan had a meeting with Maria Alcazar Castilla, IFRC Deputy Director for the Europe region. Anna Yeghiazaryan, Secretary General of the Armenian Red Cross Society and Hicham Diab, Programmes and Operations Manager of the IFRC in Armenia also participated in the meeting.

As the press service of the RA MFA reports, issues related to  addressing the rights and humanitarian challenges faced by more than  100.000 forcibly displaced refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh were  discussed at the meeting. The Deputy Foreign Minister thanked the  Armenian Red Cross Society and the International Federation of the  Red Cross and Red Crescent for the provided support.

The importance of the assessment and targeted response to the  fundamental needs of the refugees in the midterm and long term  perspective was emphasized. In this regard, the experience of the  IFRC, as well as the mutual support of the national societies was  highlighted.

On September 19, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist  operation," undertook another act of aggression against Artsakh. As a  result of enemy aggression, hundreds of Artsakh residents were  injured, more than 200 deaths were reported, including civilians, and  more than 10,000 were evacuated.  On September 20, Artsakh fell.   Azerbaijan began the forcible subjugation of the NKR.  On September  20, late in the evening it became known that Azerbaijan had  deliberately shot at the car of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,  killing 5 people, including the deputy commander of the RPC.  Today,  there were reports that one soldier was killed and another was  wounded as a result of shooting at another RPC vehicle.  On September  21, a meeting between representatives of Baku and Stepanakert was  held in Yevlakh.  Azerbaijan demanded the disarmament of the Artsakh  Defense Army, the surrender of all military personnel and the  abolition of all government bodies.  On September 22, the process of  abolishing the Artsakh Defense Army began. There are reports that the  enemy side exterminated the population of the villages captured on  September 19-20. During search operations from September 21 to 24,  the NKR Ministry of Internal Affairs discovered the bodies of 105  Artsakh residents, including brutally murdered children and elderly  people.  On October 1, the last car with Artsakh people left the  homeland. Thus, over the past week, 100.514 people were forcibly  expelled from their land.  On September 25 it also became known that  Artsakh was connected to the energy system of Azerbaijan.  Protests  demanding the resignation of the RA Prime Minister continue in  Yerevan and regions.  We add that as a result of the explosion that  took place in the fuel depot near Stepanakert on September 25,  according to preliminary data, more than 290 people were injured, 170  more died, there are still missing people.  The EU stated that it  would allocate an additional 5 million euros to assist internally  displaced people from Artsakh.  Earlier, USAI Administrator Samantha  Power, who is on a visit to Armenia, said that "the United States  will provide Armenia with support in the amount of $11.5 million for  the humanitarian needs of people displaced from Nagorno- Karabakh."  In addition, as ArmInfo previously reported with reference to the  Swedish Ambassador to Armenia, Sweden, through the Swedish  International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), allocated 15  million Swedish kronor to the International Committee of the Red  Cross to meet the humanitarian needs of the population of Nagorno-  Karabakh.  France promised to allocate another 7 million euros.   Germany announced an increase in subsidies to the ICRC from 2 to 5  million euros, to direct them to humanitarian needs of the Armenians  of Nagorno- Karabakh.  Another 1 million euros will be provided by  Spain, $2.5 million by Canada, and 1.3 million pounds sterling by the  UK, Italy allocated 4 million euros through the ICRC,  1.5 million  francs - Switzerland. The UN Commissioner for Refugees proposed to  allocate $97 million to help the people of Artsakh. A number of other  countries have also announced their intention to send humanitarian  aid to the expelled people of Artsakh.