Over 100,000 ethnic Armenians have been displaced since the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in September 2020. After Azerbaijan gained control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a mountainous area in Azerbaijan, ethnic Armenians living in the region fled. Siranush Sargsyan, a refugee journalist from Nagorno-Karabakh, was one of them. “It’s fucked,” she says.

Ethnic Armenians have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh for centuries and have strong cultural and historical ties to the region. After Azerbaijan regained control, many Armenians became fearful of ethnic cleansing and persecution, leading to a mass departure from the area.

Sargsyan spoke about the toll the war has had on Armenians and the disappointment of Armenian refugees forced to flee Nagorno-Karabakh. Many fled to Armenia, where she describes starved refugees without basic necessities for months at a time.

Delayed assistance from international organizations further contributed to Armenian disappointment and severe resource shortages. “When an international organization arrived to approach us to help, they (N-K refugees) were asking where you had been this entire time,” says Sargsyan.  There was a big silence.”

The Armenian government has implemented assistance in the form of stipend programs. However, one in every thirty people living in Armenia is now a Nagorno-Karabakh refugee, according to the International Crisis Group, straining the amount of funds available.

Nico Vacca, an international affairs research scholar from George Mason University, spoke on Armenia’s current stipend program. “Stipends are being implemented; however, more aid is needed,” he says. “The Armenian government can not afford long-term aid and assistance stipends.”‘

According to Vacca, the EU has given the Armenian government money to aid in assistance programs, but not enough.  Despite the Armenian government’s attempt to help, Sargsyan emphasizes that the stipends must be increased. “Every refugee received mostly 100-120 dollars, which is not enough for leaving Armenia today,” says Sargysan. “Yes, some refugees were provided food and first aid medicine, but nobody is talking about refugees and how they live one year after.”

Not only are challenges related to money an issue for refugees, but Sargsyan also explains inaccessibility to education, adequate health care, and discrimination are disturbing realities refugees have to face.

Mass displacement from Nagorno Karabakh and challenges regarding Armenia’s ability to handle refugees has prompted Armenians to be concerned about the future. Armenia has already suffered through the Armenian genocide during the First World War, where an estimated 1.2 million Armenians were killed.

Former Armenian Assembly and Armenian General Benevolent Union Partner Deborah Devedijan expressed her concern and commented on what she believes is a continuation of the genocide for Armenians. “The ousting and takeover of N-K is the Turks’ continued effort at finalizing the Armenian Genocide, which began in earnest in the 1890s,” Devedijan says. “The Turks, via Azerbaijan, will continue the genocide until all Armenians are dead or out of Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and neighboring regions.”

Devedijan isn’t the only one worried about Armenia’s future. As a small country, Armenia only became weaker after the war with Azerbaijan, which Sargsyan says only makes it more vulnerable. “We’ve already lost Artakh and Nagorno Karabakh, and now I have the same fear about Armenia,” she says. “This isn’t only my fear but also my friends, family members, and people I usually interview. They all have these fears.”

A ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and an end to active war doesn’t necessarily suggest an end to complications between these two countries.  Vacca emphasized that although there is more regional stability because the conflict has ended, Azerbaijan is much more militarily capable than Armenia.

Vacca conducted a strategic report on the conflict and examined its effects on regional stability in the South Caucasus. Contrary to Devedijan’s and Sargsyan’s concerns, he believes there should be less conflict than when Nagorno-Karabakh was an independent state supported by Armenia.

Frustratingly, Sargsyan criticized Western countries for lacking monetary support and proper attention to the region’s stability and refugees. “Most of these countries, US governments, and European countries, France, and Germany, provide some amount of money for refugees, but don’t even know how to care,” she says.

Sargsyan also explained that, ultimately, despite Western countries valuing democracy and stability in the region, they don’t want to pay attention to Armenia. Despite her concerns, she still speaks of what’s next for Armenians and refugees. “I am most definitely not satisfied,” she says.

As of September 2024, Azerbaijan and Armenia are continuing to work on a peace agreement despite continuous threats to Armenians. “I don’t believe in peace. I’ve experienced four wars,” says Sargsyan. “We don’t see any real sign that this country wants to make peace with Armenia even after Nagorno Karabakh.”