The Forced Displacement of 120,000 Armenians from Artsakh Was Ethnic Cleansing, Not a Resolution or End of the Issue - Oskanian

Today marks the anniversary of Artsakh's declaration of independence from Azerbaijan in 1991, which has been commemorated for decades despite the lack of international recognition. This was stated by former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

"Successive Armenian governments have deliberately avoided officially recognizing Artsakh to maintain the possibility of negotiations and a peaceful settlement. However, Prime Minister Pashinyan's declaration that 'Artsakh is Armenia, and that's it' sparked a war with all of its known consequences. Now, to preserve his political existence, he claims that the issue is 'closed' and insists that Artsakh has never truly been Armenian. We cannot allow one person and his narrow circle to force us to abandon our rights. The distortion of history must be rejected and condemned. No serious nation erases its own history. If each nation reconciled with its losses throughout history, the world's map would look entirely different today, and the number of countries would be much smaller.

There is a fundamental difference between seeking peace and sacrificing justice. The forced displacement of over 120,000 Armenians from Artsakh in 2023 was ethnic cleansing, not a resolution to the issue or the end of history. International law guarantees the right of the displaced to return, and the International Court of Justice has explicitly mandated Azerbaijan to ensure their safe return. The European Parliament, the parliaments of Switzerland, France, Belgium, and representatives of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group have also made the same demand. This issue remains on the legal, political, and moral agenda.

Pashinyan's attempts to bury Artsakh's legacy violate both Armenia's dignity and undermine diplomatic positions. The dissolution of the Minsk Group should not hinder Armenia's struggle. The post-Pashinyan leadership must restore the historical truth, formulate a principled foreign policy, and secure a broad range of international support for justice. We are obligated to continue our efforts to achieve the release of Armenian hostages, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory, and the restoration of the rights of the people of Artsakh," wrote former Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.