Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds for decades, most
notably over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which Baku's forces recaptured in September,
prompting a mass exodus of most of the region's 120,000 ethnic
Armenians to neighboring Armenia.
USAID said the additional aid, which has not been previously
reported, will support efforts to provide assistance for almost
74,000 refugees and displaced people from the region who are
sheltering in Armenia.
The aid will increase food assistance and provide humanitarian
protection and emergency shelter, according to the statement.
The additional aid will bring the total U.S. humanitarian
assistance for the Nagorno-Karabakh response to nearly $28
million since 2020, according to the statement.
"The U.S. stands with civilians affected by Azerbaijan’s
military operation and supports the Armenian government’s
efforts to help those in need," the statement read.
The two Caucasian countries have been in conflict most notably
over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized
as part of Azerbaijan but largely populated and controlled by
ethnic Armenians with Yerevan's support until Baku recaptured it
in September.
USAID chief Samantha Power traveled to Armenia and Azerbaijan in
September following Azerbaijan's defeat of the breakaway
region's fighters in the conflict dating from the Soviet era.
"We are incredibly grateful to the Armenian government and the
Armenian people for opening their homes and their hearts to the
displaced. We will continue to stand with them throughout this
crisis," Power said.
The Armenians of Karabakh - part of Azerbaijan that had been
beyond Baku's control since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet
Union - began fleeing after their forces were routed in the
operation by Azerbaijan's military.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Editing by
Matthew Lewis)
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