ARF Australia Central Committee speaks out against concessional and defeatist policy of Armenian authorities

ARF Australia Central Committee has released a statement in solidarity with Tavush.

“While Armenians around the world commemorated the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, our brave compatriots in Tavush waged a new existential struggle against the ongoing Turkish-Azerbaijani threat, this time against Armenia proper.

On 19 April, the Armenian authorities officially announced their decision to hand over four border villages of the Tavush region to Azerbaijan, in what amounts to another unilateral concession to Azerbaijan.

For two weeks now, our brave compatriots in Tavush have been fighting to defend their homeland, holding demonstrations, blocking roads and calling for awareness and action by Armenians worldwide.

Their message is clear. Unilateral concessions in Tavush threaten the security of our entire homeland. Indeed, the surrender of these areas, which bear significant strategic importance, will not only allow Azeri oversight over the main gas pipeline supplying Armenia and the Armenia-Georgia interstate highway, but also render the entire defense capability of Armenia vulnerable to future attacks.

These unilateral concessions will also lead to new land claims by Azerbaijan. Indeed, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly demanded the creation of the so-called ‘Zangezur Corridor’. Just this week, Azerbaijan also launched a television station dedicated to spreading propaganda about ‘occupied Western Azerbaijan’ (a term used by Azerbaijani authorities to refer to the entire territory of present-day Armenia).

Azerbaijan is uncompromising in its aggression against Armenia and so our struggle must remain equally uncompromising.

We are against the concessional, defeatist policy of the Armenian authorities.

We stand in solidarity with our brave compatriots in Tavush and their struggle to save our homeland,” the statement reads.