05/31/2023

Warnings of expulsions in Artsakh / Karabakh

Germany must stop Azerbaijan

If Armenia is to cede the region of Artsakh / Karabakh to Azerbaijan, the Armenian people there will be threatened with expulsion and massive violence – as stated by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) in an urgent appeal to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The chancellor will meet up with the heads of government of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and France on June 1, to hold talks about a political solution for Artsakh / Nagorno Karabakh. “Azerbaijan’s dictator Ilham Alijew has made unambiguous threats about driving the people out of the region,” stated Sarah Reinke, the STP’s expert on eastern Europe. “He has already blocked the Lachin Corridor, thus cutting off the people of Artsakh – almost entirely Armenians – from medical supplies and access to food. If he gains full control over the territory, the situation will become significantly worse.” Germany and the EU must not let this happen.

 “We are very worried for the people of Artsakh. This is not about an interstate conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan – it is about the status of Artsakh and its inhabitants. Their right to self-determination has been trampled underfoot for decades,” the STP criticized. “Armenia’s offer to relinquish control over the territory is unlawful. It is an attempt to push through with a solution without respecting the people who will be affected – in a situation in which those affected are in desperate need,” the STP warned. The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, whose employees had visited the region on May 7, had warned of an ongoing genocide as well.

The conflict, which has been going on for decades, has repeatedly led to outbreaks of war – the last time in 2020. “Azerbaijan has now been blocking the only access road between Armenia and Artsakh since December 2020. A total number of 120,000 people, including 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly people, and 9,000 people with disabilities are cut off from access to medical supplies and food,” Reinke explained. Against this background, and in view of the desperate situation in which the people of Artsakh find themselves, the STP is calling on the German Chancellor to take immediate action. Germany and the EU have been ignoring the blockade of Artsakh for much too long, without setting limits for the President of Azerbaijan. Germany cannot just watch idly, as the country has a historical responsibility: “Germany allowed a genocide against the Armenians once before. In 1915, Germany failed to act – although Berlin had detailed information about the ongoing atrocities against the Armenians, Greeks, and Aramaeans. This must not happen again!”