ArmInfo. The International Committee of the Red Cross has been present in Nagorno-Karabakh for several decades. The Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Robert Mardini stated.
"We were there during various episodes of hostilities and remain the only international humanitarian organization that has been operating in the region for the past 30 years. And currently, the ICRC continues its activities throughout the region, including in Nagorno-Karabakh," he noted on RTVI broadcast. At the same time, the representative of the Organization added that after the massive movement of people from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia in September, the ICRC began searching for people who were unable to leave or who themselves wished to stay.
"Our employees visited cities and villages, walked around, looking with megaphones for those who remained there.
Although most have left, we support those who remain there together with the Armenian ICRC. There were very few people left, elderly people, people with disabilities who could not leave for Armenia. About 20 of the remaining people received food parcels, hygiene products from us, and underwent a medical examination. We ensured the safe movement of about 50 vulnerable people to Armenia," he stressed, adding that most of them were reunited with their families in Armenia.
In conclusion, Mardini noted that the ICRC continues to maintain contact with the few people who remain in Artsakh. "This is still a very important region for us," concluded the ICRC representative.
After another Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, Artsakh fell. The entire indigenous Armenian population, over 100 thousand people, was forced to flee from their homes to Armenia amid the threat of ethnic cleansing. Enemy aggression occurred against the background of inaction of the entire civilized international community. On October 15, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev raised the Azerbaijani flag in occupied Stepanakert. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which in September of this year ended with the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, more than 150 thousand Artsakh residents have become homeless.