New York, 24 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has accused the international community of inaction following Azerbaijan's military operation to take control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is mainly inhabited by Armenians.

Speaking at the United Nations General Debate in New York on Saturday, Mirzoyan called for a UN mission to "monitor and access the human rights, humanitarian and security situation on the ground."

The "truly devastating developments" in the region have shown that the "issues cannot be addressed merely with statements and generic calls," Mirzoyan said.

"The international community, the United Nations failed to come to the rescue of the people," he said

Nagorno-Karabakh is in Azerbaijani territory, but the majority of residents are Armenian and control of the region has long been contested between the two ex-Soviet republics.

Last Tuesday, the authoritarian-led Azerbaijan launched a military operation to seize the region. Only one day later, the defeated Karabakh Armenians surrendered.

Many Armenians accuse their traditional protecting power, Russia, which also has its own soldiers stationed on the ground, of abandoning them. According to Armenian sources, more than 200 people died during the brief fighting and more than 400 others were injured.

The tens of thousands of Armenian civilians in the region now fear being displaced or oppressed by their Azerbaijani rulers.

Photo: MIA archive