The Armenian Nation is facing an existential crisis brought on by the aggressive policies of our enemy—Azerbaijan—which has been relentlessly attacking Artsakh positions, civilians and other infrastructure. Baku continues to advance its policy of .ethnic cleansing in furtherance of the same pan-Turkic agenda which has existed for over a century.
The Artsakh authorities have emphasized that this is a continuation of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing policies, which were recently amplified by the invasion by Azerbaijani forces of the Parukh village in Artsakh’s Askeran region and their advance onto the strategic Karaglukh Heights.
As these violations of ceasefire agreements continue and mount, the political discussion has centered around a so-called “peace treaty” between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Armenia’s leaders—including Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan—doubling down by saying that due to international pressures Armenia has no other choice but to sign such a treaty to ensure “peace” in the region, calling into question Artsakh’s independence, its people’s right to self-determination and their aspirations to live freely on their historic homeland. All people want to live in peace, but not at the expense of succumbing to tyranny or constant fear of another attack
For more than two decades the flawed basis for a settlement of the Karabakh conflict has been to pressure the Armenian side to surrender territories, emboldening Azerbaijan to act on the principles put forth by international mediators.
We witnessed the international community’s deafening silence during the 2020 War. Yet, having stood on the sidelines, the key international players—among them the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries—now are applauding the signing of the so-called “peace treaty” with Azerbaijan and efforts to normalize relations with Turkey, without condemning their collective violation of international and human rights norms during the 2020 War, as vociferously as they are today’s alleged violations by Russia in the Ukraine crisis. This double-standard gave Azerbaijan—and Turkey—carte blanche to reign terror upon the citizens of Artsakh.
Since the beginning of the Artsakh Liberation Movement in 1988, we have not just advocated for, but have unequivocally supported the Artsakh people’s resolve to determine their own fate. Today, despite the insurmountable losses we as a Nation have endured—and the territorial concessions that have been made—the fundamental rights of the people of Artsakh cannot be trampled upon for the sake of an expedient resolution to a complex challenge posed by the 2020 war.
We join the people and authorities of Artsakh in declaring that any effort to compromise the independence of Artsakh and its people’s right to self-determination is a red line that must not be crossed. These basic principles and rights were achieved through the blood of the heroic men and women who valiantly fought to ensure the liberation of Artsakh from the clutches of the enemy.
We call on all Armenians to support the people of Artsakh unequivocally and firmly stand behind Artsakh’s right to self determination and independence.
ARF-D Western United States Central Committee
April 18, 2022
