Armenian FM deplores lack of effective int’l action to prevent Baku’s ethnic cleansing policy

A meeting was held with the heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations accredited in Armenia at the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, October 2. The meeting was coordinated by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan and Mher Grigoryan also attended and delivered remarks at the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

Mirzoyan presented the current situation created as a result of Azerbaijan’s ongoing policy of Armenophobia towards the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and, in particular, the large-scale military attack carried out on September 19. The minister reminded that Azerbaijan’s actions were accompanied by targeting of the civilian population and infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of casualties and wounded. He added that the Azerbaijani aggression was preceded by more than 9 months of illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outer world.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia emphasized that the continuous warnings from the Armenian side that Azerbaijan, with its deliberate actions, was planning to subject Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing, did not lead to effective steps by the international community to prevent Baku’s policy. The Foreign Minister stressed that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, more than 100.000 Armenians, were forcibly displaced, facing existential threat for their families, including children, women and the elderly. Touching upon the arrival of the UN mission to Nagorno-Karabakh the day before, the Minister emphasized that it was much overdue and that at the moment, unfortunately, the only result of this mission could be stating the fact of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh,” the ministry said in its readout of the meeting.

Touching upon the willingness of various countries and international organizations to provide support in overcoming current humanitarian problems, Ararat Mirzoyan expressed gratitude for the provided urgent support.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan, who is coordinating the Humanitarian Center established by the Government of Armenia, presented to the participants the steps of the Government aimed at identifying and addressing the priority problems of more than 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. He touched upon the state support programs developed based on the assessment of urgent needs, parallel to them emphasizing the proper, comprehensive needs assessment, which is being conducted including in cooperation with international partners. The latter will allow the development of targeted long-term assistance programs.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan touched upon the work carried out for preparation of mid-term and long-term programs aimed at addressing the primary needs of forcibly displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. He considered the issue of providing forcibly displaced people with places of residence a priority and also noted the imperative of providing them with employment, educational, medical and social services.

Touching upon the overall situation and developments in the South Caucasus, in particular the issue of unblocking the regional economic and transport communications, Mirzoyan reiterated that Armenia is interested in unblocking communications based on sovereignty and jurisdiction of parties and principles of equality and reciprocity.