What Did Al Jazeera Report from Renaissance Square in Stepanakert?

After the complete depopulation of Artsakh, the first international media crew to enter the region under the permission of Azerbaijani authorities is from the Qatari channel Al Jazeera. They have broadcast live from Renaissance Square in the capital Stepanakert, providing an overview of the situation there.

The channel's correspondent referred to Artsakh as "Azerbaijan's Karabakh region" in their opening remarks, noting that the 120,000 Armenians who lived there have departed to Armenia. Both the correspondent and the reporter working from Stepanakert predominantly used the name "Khanjandi" when speaking about the city. The reporter frequently quoted Azerbaijani narratives in their commentary.

Showing the chaotic situation in Renaissance Square, the correspondent stated that people left as best they could, not believing the Azerbaijani government’s assurances that they would not face criminal liability. He reported that no one remains in the city, except for a few elderly individuals, those with movement difficulties, and representatives of the Red Cross.

The international channel's reporter indicated that even though 120,000 people have left, Azerbaijani authorities are preparing to resettle the areas completely emptied of Armenians.

During a live broadcast from Stepanakert, Marco Suchin, head of the Red Cross’s Rapid Deployment Team, stated that most of the population has left their residences. "The streets are empty, hospitals are empty too, all staff have gone, including the morgue director. Of course, our main concern and goal is to find the most vulnerable people, particularly to help the injured, provide medical assistance, and organize evacuations," said Suchin.

The Red Cross representative emphasized that mainly the elderly and disabled remain in Stepanakert—individuals who are alone without family or relatives. "These are the people we primarily search for. We have several teams that are house-to-house, trying to locate these individuals and understand what kind of assistance they need," Suchin noted, adding that their primary concern is to prevent the most vulnerable groups from being left uncared for.

Suchin found it difficult to estimate how many people remain in the city, stating, "Walking around here may show how many have stayed—perhaps a few hundred. Social services are still functioning at this moment; however, regarding the healthcare system, I wouldn't say it is completely paralyzed, but there is no staffing. This is the main need for the remaining population here. There is also a need to establish contact between the remaining people in the city, the surrounding region, and their relatives and families to restore familial ties. Also, supplying food and medicine to those who remain here is one of our priorities," Suchin added.