Surrender to Armenians: Speaker of Artsakh Parliament Appeals to Azerbaijani People

The Speaker of the Artsakh Parliament, Artur Tovmasyan, has addressed a call to the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan. The call is presented below.

“On September 27, the authorities in Baku initiated yet another large-scale aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, clearly incited by Turkey, resuming active military operations. In reality, one of the primary goals of this renewed war is to sharply expand Turkey's influence in this region, for which the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan will shed their blood, either becoming casualties or being disabled.

No representative of any indigenous people of Azerbaijan will gain anything from this war—there is nothing to share between you and the Armenians of Artsakh, our interests do not contradict each other. The Armenian population of Artsakh has always respected you, and it is the authorities in Baku who have obstructed our thousand-year history of communication and friendship with you in recent decades.

In Artsakh, it is known that the authorities in Baku prioritize conscription among the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan, sending them to the front lines, the most dangerous sections of the battlefield, where the likelihood of casualties is the highest.

By doing so, the authorities in Baku solve two problems: on one hand, they use you against Artsakh, and on the other, they rid themselves of you, as you are one of the obstacles to Azerbaijan's mass Turkification.

No matter how much you are factually participating in the aggression against Artsakh within the Azerbaijani army, the people of Artsakh deeply mourn every casualty and injured individual among you, since with you ends a crucial demographic and cultural layer with thousands of years of history in this region.

To avoid being sacrificed for the whims of the authorities in Baku, we appeal to the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan: Lezgins, Talishe, Avars, Tatysh, Udis, Tsakhurs, Ingils, Rutuls, the nationalities of the Shahdag group, and Kurds, who are on the brink of assimilation:

1. Avoid conscription, going to the front lines, and participating in the military aggression against the people of Artsakh by all possible means, including attempting to leave the territory of Azerbaijan. Those who do not wish to participate in the aggression against Artsakh and have left Azerbaijan will receive appropriate assistance from relevant structures of the Armenian diaspora in other countries.
2. If you find yourself on the front line, do your best to avoid participating in active military operations, and if possible, try to surrender to the representatives of the armed forces of Artsakh.

Those wishing to surrender must demonstrate their unarmed status while crossing the border by holding a white flag or a piece of white clothing clearly above their heads. Immediately after surrendering, stating their belonging to the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan, the individual will be considered not just an ordinary prisoner of war, but a guest, and will be received in accordance with the rules of hospitality accepted among the indigenous peoples who have existed in this region for millennia.

At their discretion, these individuals will decide whether to stay in Artsakh or to move to another country. Those wishing to leave Artsakh will be provided with appropriate assistance, including relevant documentation for safely passing into a third country and settling there.

The Republic of Artsakh, in witness to its friendship and non-hostile attitude towards the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan, is ready to hand over the bodies of soldiers who belong to the indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan and were killed as a result of the aggression carried out against us, without any preconditions, while they are within the zone under the control of the armed forces of the Republic of Artsakh. Relatives of the deceased soldiers can apply to the relevant service of the Republic of Artsakh for the organization of this process.