Published 14:05 IST, October 31st 2020
UK pledges USD 1.3 million humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh as crisis worsens
UK's Raab urged warring sides to engage with the OSCE Minsk Group and seek a peaceful negotiation, a political solution
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On October 30, the UK pledged USD 1.3 million (£1 million) humanitarian aid package for displaced civilians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Foreign Minister Dominic Raab announced that Britain will send food and medical supplies to help people affected in the disputed territory after an appeal was made by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Speaking to the press, UK’s foreign minister said that the country will supply dressing kits, bandages, blankets, food parcels, and basic hygiene items to vulnerable communities living in the conflicted region.
Further, in a televised address, Raab urged the warring sides to engage with the OSCE Minsk Group and seek a peaceful negotiation, a political solution which the people of the region desperately needs. According to the UK’s Foreign Office, the ICRC urged the nations to provide Nagorno-Karabakh with humanitarian assistance of USD 9 million. An OCHA release confirmed that civilians devastated in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will receive urgent medical supplies, food, and safer shelters from a new UK aid package.
Since the confrontation broke out in September in one of the largest escalations of hostilities between the military forces Armenia and Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, with growing numbers of civilian casualties and damage to homes and vital infrastructure. “People injured in the fighting, including children caught in the crossfire, will receive life-saving treatment at health facilities or from emergency responders supported by the ICRC,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
£1 million #UK aid package, in response to an appeal by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).#NagornoKarabakh: UK to provide food and medicine to people affected by the conflict https://t.co/DgWdE1g0jw
— Zumrud Pashkin (@ZumrudPashkin) October 31, 2020
“With this emergency support to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Red Cross of Armenia and Red Crescent of Azerbaijan will deliver food packages, blankets, hygiene items and other urgently needed help to civilians who were forced to flee due to the hostilities,” UN OCHA appealed.
Urgent appeal ⚠️
— HALO NagornoKarabakh (@HALO_NK) October 15, 2020
The worst fighting in decades has erupted in #NagornoKarabakh. We are responding on the ground to distribute aid to civilians, locate hazards & teach people how to avoid explosives.
Help keep civilians safe. Donations will be matched. https://t.co/kPoWOnwfP5
Funds for crisis recovery
According to the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (EU), the conflict has brought emergency aid close to €400,000 for civilians which were urgently needed to cover the most urgent needs of the civilians that suffered in the rigorous fighting. Meanwhile, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said that while the funds are being raised for the crisis recovery, the EU calls for an immediate end to the hostilities that have claimed umpteen civilian lives. “We are extremely concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, given the upcoming cold season and the aggravating coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
The EU provides initial humanitarian aid to the civilians affected by the fighting in Nagorno Karabakh.
— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) October 2, 2020
It includes health support, food packages & more.
We call on all parties of the conflict to ensure the protection of civilian life & infrastructure → https://t.co/ZwfoW28haM pic.twitter.com/mX0qkgiFPB
14:05 IST, October 31st 2020