Vahan Aynedjian: Cypriot Armenians demand the immediate release of Artsakh officials held in Baku

On January 27-28, rallies demanding the immediate release of former Artsakh officials and other prisoners held in Baku will take place in 53 European cities.
Cyprus will join these rallies, Vahan Aynedjian, Head of the Armenian Community of Cyprus, said in an interview with Alpha News.

“These days there will be rallies in Nicosia and Limassol. We will demand the release of all prisoners and the safe return of the Artsakh people to their historical land. The Armenian community is not the only one that participates in the protests; Greek organizations and parties can also join. Previously, they also participated in demonstrations in support of Artsakh. Many Greek leaders expressed their support for Artsakh,” Aynedjian said.

According to Aynedjian, the rallies have one goal: to show that European Armenians stand by Artsakh Armenians and will fight for their rights.

“The goal is to show the world that the Armenian Diaspora continues to fight. We want the voice of European Armenians to be heard in the supreme bodies of the European Union. We will also show that European Armenians stand by Artsakh Armenians and will fight for their rights,” Aynedjian noted.

He said that the demand of the Armenian community of Cyprus is clear: forcibly displaced persons from Artsakh must return safely to their homes.

“We also presented the ‘Europeans for Artsakh’ platform to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, and the ministry made statements in support of Artsakh. The demand of the Armenian community of Cyprus is clear: our compatriots forcibly displaced from Artsakh must return safely to their homes. This is the indisputable right of Artsakh Armenians.

From day one, our community has been working to help the forcibly displaced people of Artsakh. We organized a fundraiser and decided that this money should be transferred to the people of Artsakh. To do this, we will contact some organizations that operate in Armenia and transfer money through them,” Aynedjian concluded.