ArmInfo. The Azerbaijani authorities’ policy is first of all aimed at new ethnic cleansing in and de-Armenianizing Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said in an interview with Article 3. He stressed that Azerbaijan pursued an identical policy in the Soviet period as well.
That policy was aimed at forcing Armenians into leaving Nagorno-Karabakh and at populating it with ethnic Azerbaijanis, he said.
“After World War I and after a peace treaty was signed, we could ensure our security. But the anti- Armenian policy was gaining momentum in Azerbaijan, spreading to all the areas of life, schools, with a view to bringing up a generation that would be full of hatred for Christian Armenians, as the policy has two components – ethnic and religious. We witnessed that during the 2020 war as well. Azerbaijanis were killing and torturing captured Armenians, destroying the Christian heritage. Azerbaijan continued its policy after the war as well. However, being aware of the fact that international organizations are informed of their policy, Azerbaijan, at the presidential level, is claiming the incidents are only individual,” Mr Stepanyan said. Thus, Azerbaijan is trying to manipulate international organizations, concealing that it is the Azerbaijani leadership that is ordering the actions.
Under the circumstances, the Armenian side must present the facts.
Mr Stepanyan also stated that the Russian peacekeepers are the only deterrent for Azerbaijan in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh’s security.
“Tension has been defused now as compared with the previous few days. But it is not a guarantee against recurrence. The Russian peacekeepers’ presence is the only security guarantee. I am inclined to think that Azerbaijan could attempt to destabilize the situation round Nagorno-Karabakh taking advantage of Russia being involved in the Ukraine conflict,” he said.
Mr Stepanyan also spoke of a grave humanitarian situation in Artsakh because of the damaged gas main, and the Azerbaijani side has not allowed repair work to be started for the fourth day.
Appealing to international agencies, Mr Stepanyan stressed that a territory’s status cannot be an obstacle to the exercise of universal human rights of the local residents. Artsakh must not be viewed as a disputed territory, he said.
“It is the Artsakh residents’ rights that must be prioritized. The global human rights agenda implies universal human rights. And we are trying to make international organizations hear it. We invited them to Artsakh both during and after the war. Regrettably, none of them took a clear stand or visited Artsakh either during or after the war,” Mr Stepanyan said. But it was their duty to dispatch fact-finding missions, which was never done, he added.