European Parliament members listen to Czech Republic's President Petr Pavel delivering a speech at the European Parliament, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP)

Members of the European Parliament have accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh: calling on the European Parliament to impose sanctions.

The European Parliament stated that it considers the "current situation [in Nagorno Karabkh] to amount to ethnic cleansing," adding that it "strongly condemns the threats and violence perpetrated by Azerbaijani forces."

Armenian government spokeswoman Nazeli Baghdasaryan said that almost 100,417 out of 120,000 people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh have fled for Armenia after Baku's operation last month.

Yesterday, in a meeting with Azerbaijani and Armenian officials, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that geopolitical change in the Caucasus is unacceptable as it would harm the interests of countries in the region.

Raisi emphasized the importance of respecting the territorial integrity of the countries in the region and underlined the necessity of protecting the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

He also stressed that the presence of any foreign interference in the region, under any pretext, would not benefit its constituting states.

Politico disclosed yesterday that a clandestine meeting took place in Turkey involving officials from the United States, the European Union, and Russia. The purpose of this meeting was to explore a potential resolution to the tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and it occurred just two days before Baku initiated its military operation in the Armenian-populated area.

The officials convened in Istanbul on September 17 in an attempt to persuade Baku to lift the blockade it had imposed on the region since the previous year.