France-Armenia Friendship Group calls on international community to react urgently to Azerbaijan’s destruction of Stepanakert’s historical center

France-Armenia Friendship Group called on the international community to react quickly to Azerbaijan’s destruction of the historical center of Stepanakert ahead of COP29 in Baku.

Chair of the Armenia-France Friendship Group Gilbert-Luc Devinaz urged the international community to take immediate actions. According to him, Azerbaijan, which is preparing to host the COP29 climate conference on November 11, continues to get away with ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. First, the country blocked the Lachin corridor, depriving the region’s residents of food supplies for 10 months and then forcing the entire population of Artsakh to flee their homes. At the moment, several of Artsakh’s political leaders are still imprisoned, and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage continues.

Ahead of COP29, the Friendship Group called on the international community to set tough conditions for Azerbaijan: immediately release political prisoners, send a UNESCO mission to protect Armenian and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh, and ensure the right of Artsakh refugees to safe return in accordance with the UN ICJ decision.

“These actions aimed at destroying traces of thousands of years of history can be compared to the crimes of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, which UNESCO has recognized as cultural genocide, or the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban in Afghanistan. By transforming a land that has been home to Armenians for centuries, the Aliyev regime clearly shows its intentions to prevent the return of Artsakh refugees,” Devinaz said.