Over 28,000 refugees fled Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia

(Patria) - More than 28,000 refugees have fled Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia announced on Tuesday.

Azerbaijan opened the only road leading from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia on Sunday, four days after separatists agreed to disarm under the terms of a ceasefire deal that places the region under Baku's control, AFP reported.

Around 28,120 refugees have fled Nagorno-Karabakh so far. As refugees flooded into Armenia, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the protection of their rights.

"The Secretary-General is very concerned about the displacement of people we are seeing in Armenia," said Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that he must protect civilians still in Nagorno-Karabakh and allow humanitarian aid to reach them.

Blinken "underscored the urgency of no further hostilities, that there is unconditional protection and freedom of movement for civilians, that there is unimpeded humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.