Karabakh refugees hold little hope for Azerbaijan peace

By AFP
December 28, 2023

NOYAKERT, Armenia: Before fleeing the advancing Azerbaijani troops for Armenia, Suren Martirosyan glanced back one last time at his fruit garden in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the momentary vision has haunted him ever since.

“That image of our beautiful garden, which I saw for the final time, still lingers in my eyes: pomegranates and persimmons gleamed brightly on the trees under the brilliant sun,” he said, looking at his calloused hands.

Refugees from Karabakh, carry flowers to lay on the grave of their husband and son, killed in the 2020 conflict with Azerbaijan, at the Yerablur Military Pantheon, a cemetery in the outskirts of Yerevan, on December 23, 2023. — AFP
Refugees from Karabakh, carry flowers to lay on the grave of their husband and son, killed in the 2020 conflict with Azerbaijan, at the Yerablur Military Pantheon, a cemetery in the outskirts of Yerevan, on December 23, 2023. — AFP

The 65-year-old´s family of eight is among more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians who fled Karabakh after Azerbaijan recaptured the long-disputed region in a September lightning offensive against Armenian separatist forces. The exodus of the entire Armenian population from the mountainous enclave has sparked a refugee crisis in Armenia.