Henrikh Mkhitaryan Appeals to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Emmanuel Macron

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a prominent player for Italy's AS Roma and the Armenian national team, has addressed an open letter to the presidents of the Co-Chair countries of the Minsk Group—Russia, the USA, and France—calling for measures to halt the ongoing military actions along the Azerbaijan-Artsakh front.

“I am a professional athlete proudly representing my country, Armenia, on the international stage, and today I write to you with a heavy heart. As the world witnesses an unprecedented and tragic war in Nagorno-Karabakh, allow me to voice my deep concern that my homeland is at risk.

The second week of heavy fighting is underway, and my homeland Armenia and Artsakh are defending themselves against aggressors, protecting our nation's right to survive, to exist in our historic lands, and to preserve the Christian heritage and values known to the world.

In recent days, with the escalation of military operations, it is truly heartbreaking to see how the Azerbaijani armed forces are directly targeting schools and kindergartens in the capital city of Stepanakert, residential buildings, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructures, as well as densely populated areas.

Cluster munitions have been repeatedly used to attack the civilian population, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries, many of which will leave lives broken and fates shattered. This can only be described as a war crime. I draw your high attention to the fact that the current situation in Artsakh is on the brink of a humanitarian disaster.

Moreover, these tragic events are occurring with the direct involvement of external regional powers and foreign fighters in the vicinity of the Russian Federation and the European Union, which poses a direct security threat to your countries as well. Armenia and Artsakh are fighting alone against international terrorism.

As historical allies of the Republic of Armenia and primarily as the Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, your intervention in calling for Azerbaijan to immediately stop this devastating war is of crucial importance.

Our youth are perishing on the frontlines and suffering irreparable injuries instead of participating in the continuity of our nation. From the depths of my heart, I urge you to use all your power to halt this tragedy and return the parties to peaceful negotiations.

Respectfully,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Captain of the Armenian National Team
AS Roma Player
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador