19:27,
YEREVAN, JULY 10, ARMENPRESS. The civil society of Artsakh sent an open letter to the international community regarding the ethnic cleansing and genocide policy carried out by Azerbaijan, and appealed to international human rights organizations and civil society to bring the voice of Artsakh to the international community and demand practical steps from their governments to prevent further crimes against humanity by Azerbaijan.
ARMENPRESS reports, the letter is posted on the Facebook page of the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh.
“The people of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), facing the threat of genocide, appeal to all countries and peoples of the world, as well as to international organisations designed to ensure proper implementation of international law.
Since June 15, 2023, having resorted to a provocation on the Hakari Bridge, Azerbaijan has tightened the blockade of Artsakh, which lasts for almost 7 months, starting from December 12, 2022, and has blocked the humanitarian transportation carried out by the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping contingent, including transportation of patients to medical institutions of the Republic of Armenia, supplies of food, medicines, essential goods, fuel, thereby sharply aggravating the humanitarian crisis in the country. A week later, on June 22, 2023, the Azerbaijani side installed concrete blocks on the bridge where an illegal checkpoint had been installed on April 23, 2023, literally blocking the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the outside world. Since June 25, 2023, the transportation of patients to medical institutions in Armenia accompanied by the ICRC has been restored, however, knowing the destructive pattern of Azerbaijan, which uses humanitarian issues as a lever of pressure on Artsakh, there are no guarantees that it will not be interrupted yet again. These actions of Azerbaijan should not be considered as separate acts of aggression, but as a part of the consistent and systematic policy of ethnic cleansing against Artsakh and its indigenous Armenian population. On the night of June 28, 2023, Azerbaijan resorted to another military provocation against Artsakh using long-range artillery and a drone, resulting in the death of four Artsakh servicemen defending their Homeland and the peaceful population from the Azerbaijani aggression.
Ignoring the adopted resolutions of the European Parliament of January 19, 2023 and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of June 22, 2023, the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) of December 21, 2022, the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the United Nations (UN) of February 22, 2023, Azerbaijan, as if mocking the authority of these organisations, stubbornly continues to conduct the policy of genocide and patriacide against the people of Artsakh, demonstrating criminal self-will, thereby opposing itself to the civilized world. In addition, the President of Azerbaijan openly allows himself to threaten representatives of the international community who do not share his approach to resolving the Artsakh issue, while believing that international law is entirely on the side of Azerbaijan.
Official Baku rejects the demand to provide guarantees for the security of the people of Artsakh and constantly insists that this is an internal problem of Azerbaijan, which it intends to solve at its discretion. Against the background of blatant Armenophobia, which has become part of the state policy of the authoritarian regime of Azerbaijan and completely permeates the Azerbaijani society. As there is plenty of evidence, it is not difficult to imagine what this “solution” might be if the people of Artsakh suddenly find themselves under the rule of Baku.
We welcome the growing international understanding that the people of Artsakh need firm international guarantees of protection. We thank the congressmen who spoke on this matter in the US Congress on June 21, 2023, calling a spade a spade and giving an objective assessment of Azerbaijan’s policy, as well as all other international actors who have the courage to speak out loud about the existential threats posed by Azerbaijan and looming over the people of Artsakh.
We express our hope that more and more people in the world will understand the genuine causes of this conflict and understand why the people of Nagorno-Karabakh made a legitimate request to withdraw from the Azerbaijani SSR and join Armenia in 1988, which led to the beginning of Azerbaijani aggression and a bloody war in which Artsakh people were forced to defend themselves.
Now, when there are calls from various international platforms for a peaceful resolution of the conflict by including Artsakh in Azerbaijan, we suggest recalling the history of the Second World War and trying to imagine: would it be possible to call Jews to live under Hitler’s Nazi government? Modern Azerbaijan is also a Nazi state in relation to the Armenians, and it is not difficult to make sure of that – in case of an objective look at this issue without unilateral consumption of the Azerbaijani propaganda.
Having survived the horrors of the three wars unleashed by Azerbaijan, pogroms, exile, psychological terror, human and material losses, continuing to live with the looming existential threat, the people of Artsakh are demanding to use all existing international mechanisms to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide carried out by Azerbaijan.
In view of the current situation, we demand the presence of representatives of all relevant international organizations in Artsakh. Taking into account the violations of the agreements reflected in Point 6 of the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, according to which free and safe passage through the Lachin corridor should be ensured, we call on the international organizations, namely the UN, to send an international mission to the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Artsakh, strengthen and improve the functioning of the peacekeeping institute.
Also, due to the fact that Azerbaijan openly ignores the implementation of the decisions of the ECHR and the ICJ of the UN issued during the blockade, we appeal to the international community to impose sanctions against this country.
On behalf of the civil society of Artsakh, we appeal to the international human rights and civil society to help bring the voice of Artsakh to the wider international community and demand that their governments take real preventive measures in order to prevent Azerbaijan’s next crimes against humanity.
While expressing our gratitude for being concerned about the fate of the people of Artsakh, we emphasize that the only reliable guarantee of our rights and security is the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, which is based on the right of the people to self-determination, enshrined in international law, and the free will of the people of Artsakh.
Artsakh is not a “territory” inherited by someone by the right of the strong, but our Homeland, where we have a full and inalienable right to a safe life. Artsakh is not just a handful of 120,000 people, not counting about 30,000 forcibly displaced Artsakh residents, who were expelled from their homes as a result of Azerbaijan’s military aggression in 2020. Today Artsakh is a test of the values declared by the democratic world and a litmus test of the world order. The essence of the value system of the changing world order will be defined by the choice made between lies, discrimination, violence, terrorism, authoritarianism on one hand or freedom, democracy and respect for human rights on the other”.