Charles Michel condemns Russia for betraying Armenian people amid  ongoing processes around Artsakh

ArmInfo.Russia's failure to ensure peace and security in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is a  'betrayal' of the Armenian people, Charles Michel told Euronews on Monday. 

According to the source, the European Council President condemned  Russia's peacekeeping forces, present in Nagorno-Karabakh since a  peace deal was brokered by Moscow in 2020, for standing aside as Baku  launched its military action.

"It is clear for everyone to see that Russia has betrayed the  Armenian people," Michel told Euronews' Global Conversation.  "Russia  wanted to have soldiers on the ground to guarantee this peace and  security agreement. But we see that the military operation was  launched without the slightest reaction from the Russian peacekeeping  forces in the territory. The European Union, on the other hand, had  no force or military presence on the ground," he added.

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, USAID  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.  A number of other countries have also announced their intention to  send humanitarian aid to the expelled people of Artsakh.