Azerbaijan's Aggression Occurs Against the Backdrop of a Global Health Crisis: Arsen Torosyan's Open Letter to the WHO Director

The Minister of Health, Arsen Torosyan, has addressed an open letter to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“WHO Headquarters (World Health Organization), Geneva
To the Director-General of the World Health Organization
Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Dear Mr. Ghebreyesus,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding Azerbaijan's military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Today, as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic, as the international community focuses its efforts on mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic, and as all leaders, including the UN Secretary-General, call for a global ceasefire, the armed forces of Azerbaijan have launched widespread aerial, missile, and ground assaults across the contact line of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, targeting civilian settlements, infrastructure, and schools, including in the capital city of Stepanakert, resulting in numerous casualties and devastation among the civilian population.

Azerbaijan's aggression occurs against the backdrop of a global health crisis, which severely hampers national, regional, and global responses to the coronavirus and facilitates the spread of the virus.

The military attack unleashed by Azerbaijan against the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh, carried out with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters supported by Turkey, has led to the strongest and most devastating escalation in the region since the 1990s. This genocidal alliance of Turkey and Azerbaijan is increasingly causing destruction, compounded by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the continuous bombardment of civilian infrastructures, including humanitarian and environmental facilities, our medical staff is fulfilling their duties, fighting for the lives and health of the wounded, including foreign journalists severely injured from Azerbaijan’s deliberate attacks. Unfortunately, several healthcare workers have also been mortally wounded while performing their duties.

On October 11, when a ceasefire was declared, Azerbaijan still targeted an ambulance transporting the injured.

Dear Director-General,

We are currently witnessing a humanitarian disaster in the Republic of Artsakh, where the civilian population is deprived of essential medical services and lives in terror of bombardments and missile strikes. The entire peaceful population, including children and the elderly, is under constant threat of losing their lives and health.

We urge the World Health Organization, which is the leading organization coordinating global efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, to take appropriate measures to halt the humanitarian disaster caused by Azerbaijan's military aggression and to prevent the aggravation of a second wave of COVID-19.

If this massive military aggression by Azerbaijan continues to target the peaceful population and infrastructures of Nagorno-Karabakh, then the global public health community will be unable to protect vulnerable groups of the population from the devastating consequences of the virus.

Arsen Torosyan
Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia,” he noted.