Azerbaijan’s president has raised the national flag over the capital of the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan retook the territory last month in a 24-hour lightning military offensive, prompting the vast majority of its ethnic Armenian population to flee.

President Ilham Aliyev was pictured raising his nation’s flag over the capital, which was known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan and as Stepanakert by Armenians.

He also delivered a speech, his presidential office said.

Most of the territory’s population of 120,000 ethnic Armenians have now fled to Armenia, many fearing persecution – although Azerbaijan had pledged to respect their rights.

Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, claimed the large-scale evacuation amounted to “a direct act of an ethnic cleansing and depriving people of their motherland”.

But Azerbaijan has rejected the accusation, arguing the mass migration by the region’s residents was “their personal and individual decision and has nothing to do with forced relocation”.

Read more from Sky News:
Israel-Hamas war – latest updates
Acclaimed film director stabbed to death

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

The Karabakh region is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory.

It became a breakaway state under the control of ethnic Armenian forces in 1994 after six years of separatist fighting following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In 2020 Azerbaijan took back parts of the region in a 44-day war, with the remainder reclaimed in September’s offensive.

Related posts:

‘Caring’ English teacher found dead after going missing in Japan British man arrested in Germany accused of spying for Russia Messi says he wants more trophies and is ‘excited’ by Paris Saint-Germain move Two dead and nine injured after tornado flips cars on Italian island Animal shelter workers in Afghanistan evacuated – two weeks after charity’s dogs and cats flown to UK Pandemic has fuelled ‘billionaire bonanza’ as richest see fortunes double, says Oxfam Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers killed after getting caught in traps Trump granted independent expert to review FBI seized documents in ‘victory’ for former president Record-breaking rains threaten 4,500-year-old Pakistani archaeological site as lake close to overflowing Woman arrested after tearing off ‘large part of skin’ of partner’s genitals FIFA urged by UN to keep World Cup equal prize money promise North Koreans ordered to protect portraits of Kim Jong Un from storm