American Publication's Astute Commentary on Azerbaijan's Politics

While we are focused on Ukraine, the brutal dictatorship in the South Caucasus seeks to test the world's patience. Since December 12, Azerbaijani forces have blocked the only road known as the Lachin Corridor, which connects Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world. This is a challenge. The mistake will lead to a massacre that will shock humanity. This is reported by the Chicago Tribune.

In this isolated region, known as Artsakh, 120,000 besieged Armenians are cut off from food and medicine. Schools, kindergartens, and hospitals went several days without heating during the winter. Due to complications from the blockade, one patient has already died, while a seriously ill Armenian child cannot be transported to the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The blockade, which has drawn unusual concern from Pope Francis and has been condemned by the UN, the EU, the US, France, and Canada, aims to expel the Christian population from this ancient center.

Since seizing part of Nagorno-Karabakh during the 2020 war, Azerbaijan has repeatedly tried to close the world's eyes, forcing it to look away while it slaughters Armenians in Artsakh and strikes directly at Armenia. Armenia, a young and fragile democracy, is right next to the aggressor. Time and again, Azerbaijani forces have committed acts of astonishing brutality, and notably, they have made little effort to cover this up. On the contrary, the hatred against Armenians in Azerbaijan is so deeply rooted that in many cases, violent acts are celebrated on social media.

Among the obviously fake “eco-activists” maintaining the blockade are Azerbaijani soldiers. Genocide Watch has raised the level of the threat of genocide facing the Armenian population of Artsakh to the highest mark of 10, while the International Association of Genocide Scholars believes there are significant risk factors that make the possibility of genocide against the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh feasible. In fact, more than a dozen human rights organizations and activists have issued a joint warning regarding genocide.

This is why the idea of placing the autonomous enclave under Azerbaijan’s control is completely unviable for Armenians. This is why Armenians do not believe the public promises of “coexistence” from Azerbaijan and, frankly, also from the West. Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh would mean only one thing: violence against the Armenian population.

The world's silence regarding Azerbaijan's actions against Armenians is partly due to some Europeans hoping to bypass Russian sanctions by buying Russian natural gas, which conveniently now passes through Azerbaijani territory. This is a dirty deal that stains all involved parties. Democratic countries around the world must ensure that their voices are heard for a democracy like Armenia that is now in a dire situation.