The Artsakh Conflict Has Never Been Viewed as an Internal Affair of Azerbaijan, Says Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has never been viewed as an internal affair of Azerbaijan, stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Artsakh Republic, Sergey Ghazaryan, in an interview with Artsakhpress.

Here is an excerpt from the interview:

- How do you comment on the Azerbaijani president's statement on April 18 that Armenians living in Karabakh must either accept Azerbaijani citizenship or seek residence elsewhere?

- This is not the first time the President of Azerbaijan has made statements that openly reveal Azerbaijan's true intentions to ethnically cleanse Artsakh and expel its indigenous population from their historical homeland. The more than four-month blockade of Artsakh by the authoritarian leadership of Azerbaijan is merely one of the instruments for implementing these criminal plans. Through coercion, force, and the threat of force, Azerbaijan is essentially attempting to compel the people of Artsakh to accept its illegal demands, which, among other things, contradict mandatory norms of international law.

The fact that Azerbaijan's leadership no longer even conceals its criminal intentions demonstrates the lack of sufficient international response and engagement towards stopping the ongoing blockade of Artsakh and halting Azerbaijan's genocidal intentions. In fact, the Azerbaijani authorities, acting in an atmosphere of absolute impunity and lawlessness, are further expanding the scope and geography of the crimes being committed against both the people of Artsakh and those of Armenia.

In this regard, I would like to emphasize that states, individually and collectively, have a duty to take effective and decisive steps to prevent the gravest crimes, first and foremost genocide and crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing and unlawful displacement. At the same time, the direct responsibility for preventing such crimes lies with the UN Security Council, a body that not only has the relevant mandate but is also equipped with the necessary tools to halt Azerbaijan's criminal intentions against Artsakh and its people.

In this context, it is regrettable that despite the commitment to prevent grave crimes, representatives of certain international organizations and states are making political efforts that indirectly promote Azerbaijan’s illegitimate stance and encourage its genocidal policies. We believe that such an approach by international actors, particularly those involved in the resolution processes of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, is not only unacceptable and counterproductive but also laden with unpredictable consequences for the entire region.

- How would you comment on the Azerbaijani president's assertion that Karabakh is an internal affair of Azerbaijan?

- The Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has never been regarded as an internal affair of Azerbaijan—neither during the existence of the USSR nor in the subsequent period following the formation of independent states on the territory of the former Soviet Union. This is evidenced by the fact that after the independence of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Armenia, and Azerbaijan, the international community established a specific mechanism for the resolution of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict—the Minsk Process. The decision to create an international format to determine the final political status of Artsakh indicates that the international community has not recognized Artsakh as part of independent Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's consent to participate in the Minsk Process is also recognition of the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not an internal affair of Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, the Armenian side has consistently emphasized that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict is primarily a matter of human rights and freedoms, and first and foremost, the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination. In this regard, according to international obligations, including those undertaken by Azerbaijan, issues of human rights and freedoms are of legitimate interest to all states and do not exclusively fall under any state's internal affairs.

There are many examples in the world where certain countries and international organizations have intervened directly in conflict situations to prevent genocide, mass murder, and violations of human rights. In the contemporary world, in situations where all human rights and freedoms, including the collective rights of peoples, are grossly violated, only the intervention of the international community and the free realization of the right to self-determination can ensure a peaceful and civil resolution of such situations—without the use of force, violence, unlawful displacement, and ethnic cleansing.

Under the conditions of the ongoing blockade, massive violations of individual and collective rights of the people of Artsakh, and other aggressive actions, the official Baku's attempt to present the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict as its internal affair is a blatant attempt by the Azerbaijani leadership to obtain a carte blanche from the international community for continuing ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and expelling its indigenous population from their ancestral lands. We absolutely reject Aliyev's ultimatum statements and threats of unleashing a new war. The people and authorities of Artsakh are committed to the path of freedom and independence they have chosen, and no difficulties or threats created by Azerbaijan can compel us to deviate from this course.

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