Turkish-Azerbaijani Terrorist Tandem Continues Bombarding Artsakh: Zohrabyan at PACE

Today, a meeting of the Permanent Committee on Migration, Refugees, and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) took place, with the humanitarian consequences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the agenda.

During the meeting, Member of Parliament from the 'Prosperous Armenia' faction, Naira Zohrabyan, appealed to international organizations and PACE, urging them not to remain silent. She indicated that because of their silence, it is their own children who could be targeted by the Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorist tandem using phosphorus weapons.

Zohrabyan asked female MPs present at the meeting if anyone could imagine what a mother feels when Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorists torture her son and send her a picture of his mutilated body.

In her speech, Zohrabyan stated, "While we are discussing various European agendas with you, children and women continue to be killed in Artsakh. The Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorist duo is still bombing civilian residential areas in Artsakh, including maternity hospitals and kindergartens, and continues to use weapons that are prohibited by all international conventions. While we are discussing this truly disastrous war, soldiers continue to die at the front, and the Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorist duo maintains its horrific treatment of prisoners of war. I could show you footage right now, taken from Azerbaijani media resources, depicting the inhuman torture and humiliations our captured soldiers are subjected to, but I will spare you that cruelty.

However, I have a question for you, dear colleagues. Has any of you tried to imagine what the parent of a soldier experiences when Turkish-Azerbaijani terrorists torture their son and send them a picture of the tortured son? I would not wish for any mother to ever experience the calamity that Armenian mothers face these days.

Dear colleagues, many countries have already confirmed the fact that fighters transferred from Syria and other hot zones are fighting in the Azerbaijani army through Turkey. So what now? Should we continue to remain silent? Silent, until that terrorism reaches each of your homes? The face of terrorism is singular; it is a global threat that we either fight and overcome together, or we all lose.

Today, one thing is clear: a global hybrid war has begun, and Artsakh is the anti-terrorist frontline of that war. Our silence every day births new nests of terrorism, and yes, it is now right at your doorstep. If you remain silent while NATO member Turkey directly participates in this war and leads the Azerbaijani army, and if NATO thinks that merely calling for a ceasefire without any action fulfills its mission, then it is greatly mistaken. If international organizations, including our assembly, believe that equating the parties and merely expressing deep concern protects them from future responsibility, you are mistaken again.

By protecting children affected by phosphorus chemical weapons in Artsakh, you will also protect your own children, as God forbid, one day, if we do not unite to crush this international terrorism, another child living in Europe will suffer the same fate.

I have never valued the words of any leader from Turkey, but it is hard to disagree with former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who recently said, "Erdogan is more dangerous for the world than Covid 19." Consider this, dear colleagues, consider it while there is still time.