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As a result of the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in April 2016, more than 2000 people moved to Armenia from Karabakh, Christoph Bierwirth Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Armenia said at a press conference on Tuesday. The meeting was dedicated to the World Refugee Day and We Stand With Refugees campaign.

The UN official noted that women, children and the elderly made up the greatest part of those displaced, while the men stayed in Karabakh to protect their homes or to take part in operations. The majority of the displaced people were housed by their friends and relatives, who, according to Mr.  Bierwirth, mainly belong to lower social class.

Mr. Christoph Bierwirth also noted that the UN Commissioner was impressed with the support and hospitality shown to the displaced people, noting that the situation prompted the UNHCR to take immediate action. The UN representative noted that at the annual meeting of UNHCR's governing Executive Committee “the Government of the Republic of Armenia highly appreciates UNHCR’s rapid and efficient humanitarian response, which immediately reached to the people in need.”

In Mr. Bierwirth’s words, the majority of the displaced Karabakh people did not manage to make it back to their country. At the end of 2016, 573 people (172 families) mainly from the conflict-stricken village Talish, continued to remain displaced since Talish is not safe yet.