I Delivered the Message of Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan to the President of the Bundestag: Tovmasyan

The Chairperson of the RA National Assembly's Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, non-partisan Taguhi Tovmasyan writes:

“During the working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, on March 28, as part of the delegation headed by the President of the RA National Assembly Alen Simonyan, we met with the President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas. I presented to Ms. Bärbel Bas the situation created as a result of the complete blockade of the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, the attempts to implement ethnic cleansing policies by Azerbaijan, and the gross violations of international law, one of the vivid proofs of which is the disregard for the decision of the International Court of Justice.

In this context, I spoke about the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, the recognition of which is an urgent necessity for the international community today. I described how the Berdzorz corridor was closed under the guise of “environmental activists,” but even after the suspension of the operation of the Kashen mine by the authorities of Artsakh, the road has not been reopened. Currently, Azerbaijan is claiming that Armenians are transporting weapons to Artsakh, saying that scanners need to be installed.

I conveyed the message of the State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, Gurgen Nersisyan, as the viewpoint of the Artsakh government, stating that Artsakh is ready to dispel Azerbaijan's false concerns about the alleged transportation of weapons from Armenia to Artsakh, which could have been revealed by the installation of scanning equipment for trucks on the road from Goris to Artsakh proposed by the Russian peacekeepers; however, Azerbaijan also does not agree to this. The life road of Artsakh remains closed because this way Azerbaijan is trying to achieve its main goals—subjugation of the population of Artsakh through pressure, violence, or the threat of violence.

The minister had indicated that they were even ready for such constructive measures, although, according to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the Russian peacekeepers assumed full control functions over the corridor, and there was no reason not to trust them.

I presented the security issues in the post-war Republic of Armenia and the tense situation at the borders of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the issues hindering the realization of the most sacred human right—the right to life. I mentioned the servicemen who were killed from enemy fire while performing their duties along the state border of the Republic of Armenia and in Artsakh.

Referring to democracy in Armenia, I pointed out the existing problems and challenges.”