The Nationwide Unity Can Create Preconditions for the Collective Return of the People of Artsakh: Message from the Artsakh National Assembly

Support for Artsakh is being demonstrated on January 27 and 28 as various events are taking place in over fifty cities across fourteen European countries under the initiative of the platform ‘Europeans for Artsakh.’ The events feature participation from the Armenian community in Europe and numerous European organizations that are voicing their demands and appeals to their national governments and pan-European leadership.

On this occasion, four factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh issued a message to the participants of the events: "Everything that happened in Artsakh during the 44-day war in 2020 and on September 19, 2023, with the cooperation of Azerbaijan and Turkey, is but a continuation of the Turkish criminal plans that began during the Ottoman Empire. The actions taken against the Armenian people a century ago have been repeated in our times, but with one minor difference: the leading role has been assigned to Azerbaijan.

The millennia-old Armenian Artsakh, which has continuously resisted various marauding attacks, faced the war imposed by Azerbaijani-Turkish forces in September 2020 under the conditions of international law being ignored, suffering numerous hardships during the 9-month total blockade, and being subjected to ethnic cleansing through monstrous terrorism in September 2023. Faced with the ongoing genocide and its looming threat, 120,000 Armenian inhabitants of Artsakh were forced to leave their homeland, abandoning the rich historical and cultural heritage of their ancestors, Christian sanctuaries, and their own homes.

The genocidal policies of the Azerbaijani authorities towards Armenians, along with hatred and animosity, have manifested for decades through massacres and crimes against humanity in predominantly Armenian settlements, from Sumgait to Maragha. The fact that the military-political leaders of Artsakh continue to be held captive in Baku's prisons confirms the intentions of the official circles of that country to continue their anti-Armenian policies.

Upcoming events in over fifty cities across fourteen European countries are exceptional signals of hope in the described catastrophic conditions. The latest event organized by the ‘Europeans for Artsakh’ platform has united our fellow countrymen living in Europe, for whom Artsakh has been a source of inspiration for years, and hundreds of organizations that have worked for years to maintain and increase the international visibility of Artsakh.

The factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh express their gratitude on behalf of the forcibly displaced people for the care and readiness to support shown by hundreds of European organizations through their extensive work to shape the agenda of aiding Artsakh. We also thank all our European friends who have long defended our right to self-determination and the construction of a sovereign state for the people of Artsakh. We enthusiastically join the just calls and demands directed at the governments of your host countries and pan-European leadership.

We are deeply convinced that nationwide unity and its expansion, together with the necessary work required back home, can create the preconditions essential for our main issue: the collective return of the people of Artsakh with international guarantees for security. We wish success to all of us on the path of realizing this historic mission.

Factions of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh: “Free Homeland-ARD”, “Armenian Revolutionary Federation”, Artsakh “Justice”, “Democratic Party of Artsakh”

January 27, 2024