‘I’m tired of being silent’, Levon Aronian makes an appeal in support of Artsakh

Levon Aronian, the former leader of the Armenian chess team, grandmaster and holder of one of the highest FIDE ratings, spoke in support of the Artsakh people on his Facebook and called on everyone to stop being silent.

“Dear friends! I am writing to you with respect, confusion and a desire to share my feelings with you. I am writing to you about what I think of every day, and I am writing in my mother tongue, Russian, because I hope this will allow me to express myself clearly. The city of Stepanakert, where my relatives live, and the whole of Artsakh have been under blockade for more than nine months. It means that there are practically no food products, including those necessary for the normal development of children; medicines, including those necessary for the elderly suffering from problems related to heart diseases,” Aronian wrote.

According to him, the word “genocide” is now pronounced more in the world.

“And this is in the 21st century. The blockade is not caused by necessity, strategic importance or any other reason. In general, it is difficult to name a reason when ordinary people are deprived of the essential things. First of all, food. Then – gas and electricity. I believe that ordinary Azerbaijanis do not need this blockade. This is just part of the behavior of a person who considers himself above God’s law, and above universal morality.

A man who calls the representatives of my people dogs. The name of this man is Ilham Aliyev. I do not believe that human qualities are determined by nationality. In all nations there are bad people and there are good people – this is trivial. But there are good people who are silent because they are afraid of the bad ones. I am tired of being silent, and I believe that the number of people who have compassion and who cannot watch 120,000 people starve to death prevails,” Aronian said.

He also turned to his fellow grandmasters.

“We have no right to justify with our silence what is happening now. And I am sure that my Azerbaijani colleagues are not at all interested in the inhumane situation that Ilham Aliyev creates for the Karabakh people. Let’s wake up, people. We cannot allow something to happen that humanity will be ashamed of for centuries. We are obliged to talk about what is happening and try to reach out to those who can change this shameful situation. Your Levon,” he wrote.