European Union member Cyprus on Friday, September 29 said it was considering ways to host, if needed, forcibly displaced Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan launched a full-scale offensive, Reuters reports.

Cyprus traditionally has close ties with Armenia, and has a minority Armenian Christian population represented in parliament.

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. As of September 30 morning, around 100,417 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.