Azerbaijan Urges Armenians to Stay in Nagorno-Karabakh, Thousands Flee to Armenia

Azerbaijan's ambassador to Britain, Elin Suleymanov, stated that Azerbaijan does not want a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and is not encouraging anyone to leave the "liberated" region. However, over half of Karabakh's Armenian population has already fled, with many expressing fears of persecution and ethnic cleansing. Suleymanov urged ethnic Armenians to stay and promised secure and better living conditions, but critics believe that Azerbaijan wants the exodus to make it easier to resettle the area with Azerbaijanis. Suleymanov also rejected fears of the destruction of Armenian churches and monasteries and expressed hopes for negotiation to reopen transport corridors and make the region more prosperous.