Fleeing the violence, thousands of people are now displaced and in need of assistance. EU humanitarian aid will help the affected people cover their basic needs through cash assistance, while providing them also with shelter and psychosocial support.

This emergency funding comes in addition to the €1.17 million of humanitarian aid the EU allocated to the Nagorno Karabakh crisis earlier this year.

Emphasizing the critical necessity of safe humanitarian access, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, stated: “The escalation of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh has had serious repercussions to the civilians. In response, the EU is mobilizing additional €500 000 in emergency humanitarian aid to support the people displaced. We are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and stand ready to offer more assistance. While the EU welcomes the ceasefire, I strongly urge all parties of the conflict to ensure unimpeded and immediate access to humanitarian organizations. We must make sure that humanitarian workers can provide emergency relief to the people in need.”

The EU is in close contact with its humanitarian partners on the ground and stands ready to address the growing humanitarian needs in case of further escalation.

“We have been supporting humanitarian operations in Armenia and Azerbaijan with more than €21 million since the large-scale escalation of the conflict in 2020,” the European Commission says.