Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg has accused the world of hypocrisy for overlooking the crimes committed by Azerbaijan against Armenians.
“Why am I not at COP-29? Our agenda (adherence to the principles of climate justice) contradicts the agenda of COP-29 and what is happening in Azerbaijan,” Thunberg said today during a forum titled “The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on Human Rights and Environmental Protection,” hosted by the AUA.
According to the climate activist, Azerbaijan is a repressive country that wants to increase mineral extraction and is responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The fact that, against the backdrop of all this, COP-29 is being held in this country is revolting. This is hypocrisy and duplicity. Azerbaijan not only manages to commit all these crimes without being held accountable, but it is also given a platform to legitimize these terrible crimes, namely ethnic cleansing. The world remains silent and allows it these opportunities,” Thunberg noted.
She emphasized that climate conferences should no longer be held in Azerbaijan—a country that is repressive and suppresses the rights of its own citizens.
“Azerbaijani activists live as if in prison, deprived of their rights,” Thunberg said. “The ethnic cleansing for which Azerbaijan is responsible, the deprivation and suffering experienced by many Armenians due to Azerbaijan’s military aggression, the torture and forced displacement, the prisoners and hostages, the physical and psychological atrocities people have endured are categorically unacceptable.”
“The world remains silent about all of this. It allows Azerbaijan to greenwash these terrible crimes, and this is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that countries continue to purchase minerals from Azerbaijan without addressing any of what I’ve mentioned,” she added.
After taking part in the forum, Thunberg visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial complex, where she was welcomed by Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Edita Gzoyan.
Thunberg took the opportunity to observe a moment of silence at the Eternal Flame, honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide, according to the Institute.
Gzoyan detailed the story of the three khachkars installed at Tsitsernakaberd, which were erected in honor of the Armenian victims who were killed in massacres orchestrated by the Azerbaijani government in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku.
The Institute Director also highlighted the stories of five freedom fighters interred before the Memory Wall, who were killed while defending Nagorno-Karabakh, underscoring the relevance of the Armenian Genocide in the context of persecution and violence against Armenians.
Gzoyan used Thunberg’s visit as an opportunity to present the scholarly works of international researchers, missionaries, and politicians who spoke out against the Ottoman Empire’s genocide of Armenians, including Swedish missionary Alma Johansson.
Thunberg later visited the Armenian Genocide Museum, where she immersed herself in the exhibitions on display.
As she prepared to leave, Thunberg wrote, “Thank you for your invaluable work. Now it’s up to each and everyone of us to continue spread awareness and demand justice. Never again for anyone,” in the Museum guestbook.
Thunberg was gifted books about the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by Gzoyan.
