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2023 is a year of great challenges. One of the key challenges was the ethnic cleansing that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh and its depopulation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the reception organized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of New Year and Christmas holidays on Monday.

“In this sense, of course, what happened was a consequence of a situation when the government of the Republic of Armenia repeatedly warned publicly that events were developing in that direction and expected concrete international actions, but we must also record that we did not see those actions, unfortunately. In fact, the events unfolded in the most pessimistic scenario we could have predicted, which, however, turned out to be a realistic scenario,” the premier noted.

"In this regard, I think it is important to emphasize once again our policy regarding forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh. Our approach is as follows, if our compatriots do not have a realistic possibility to return to Nagorno Karabakh for some reason, our policy is to do everything to ensure that they stay in the Republic of Armenia.

"I should also note with satisfaction that the Armenian government was able to accept more than 100,000 refugees in the Republic of Armenia within one week without establishing refugee camps or tent camps. But on the other hand, I also want to thank our international partners who have supported us during this period and expressed their willingness and actually continue to support us, and to emphasize the importance of the continuation of that support," Pashinyan said.