Primate of Artsakh Diocese urges UN to put pressure on Aliyev and Azerbaijani government 

 
Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese, sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, stating that a year ago, the Azerbaijani armed forces shelled peaceful settlements and invaded Artsakh. Within a few days, 120,000 Artsakh people were forced to leave their homeland under the real threat of physical destruction. People whose ancestors lived in Artsakh for thousands of years were forced to leave their homes, graves, and cultural and historical heritage inherited from their ancestors. 

In his letter, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan noted that before the 44-day war in 2020, the population of Artsakh was 151 thousand people.

“The available facts are more than enough to confirm that what happened to the people of Artsakh is a crime against humanity. Recently, the International Association of Genocide Scholars noted in its statement that these events correspond to the characteristics of genocide defined by the Genocide Convention.

The tragedy of the Armenians of Artsakh has virtually gone unnoticed by the international community. With the exception of statements by some international organizations and individual political leaders, no steps have been taken to end Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy aimed at displacing Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, perpetrating ethnic cleansing, and suppressing the just aspirations of people for self-determination.

Moreover, we have witnessed how impunity fueled Azerbaijan’s expansionism, and today Azerbaijan has already occupied the sovereign territories of Armenia and is taking steps to limit its sovereignty and independence. On November 11-22, 2024, Baku is scheduled to host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), to which invitations were sent to leaders and officials of various countries, as well as responsible persons of international organizations. I urge you to use all the opportunities during COP29 to establish a just, lasting and decent peace in the region.

Protecting the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and promoting regional security are crucial to maintaining our own commitment to democratic ideals. In this regard, I urge to put pressure on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the government of Azerbaijan to take tangible measures that will maintain regional peace, ensure the protection of human rights, and respect international laws and norms,” the Bishop said in a letter.