Nagorno Karabakh will cease to exist on January 1, 2024

Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist on January 1, 2024. All government institutions will be dissolved, President of the Republic Samvel Shahramanyan said.

Over 47,000 people have already moved to Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh. This is almost a third of the population of the unrecognised republic, the press office of the Armenian prime minister said.

All refugees need to undergo registration before they can be accommodated.

According to the 2015 census, Nagorno Karabakh had a population of 151,000 people, of whom 95 percent were Armenians.

On September 24, the Nagorno Karabakh authorities announced that about 120,000 people — 99.9 percent of the population — wanted to leave the territory of the republic.

Azerbaijan launched the anti-terrorist operation in Nagorno Karabakh on September 19. The next day, Baku and Stepanakert concluded a ceasefire agreement. The agreement provided for the withdrawal of the Armenian military, the disbandment and disarmament of the army of the unrecognised republic and the withdrawal of military equipment. The Armenian authorities denied the presence of their troops in Karabakh.

Azerbaijani officials said that the Armenians living in Karabakh would see "changes for the better." Baku wants to "build a common life based on peace," Azerbaijani officials said.

On September 24, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the Armenians of Karabakh were still "under the threat of ethnic cleansing."

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan calls on the Armenian residents of Nagorno Karabakh not to leave their homes in the republic and become part of the Azerbaijani society, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan said.