Yerevan on kidnapping of NKR citizens: Azerbaijan openly plans to collectively punish all people of Nagorno Karabakh
ArmInfo Azerbaijan openly plans to collectively punish all the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The
Armenian Foreign Ministry states over today's abduction of three citizens of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani side at an illegal checkpoint in the Kashatagh (Lachin) corridor.
"Today, August 28, at an illegal checkpoint located in the Lachin
corridor, Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies abducted residents of
Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon Grigoryan.
Transfer was pre-agreed and was carried out accompanied by Russian
peacekeeping forces, who, according to paragraph 6 of the tripartite
statement of November 9, in 2020, were supposed to control the
uninterrupted communication between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
through the Lachin corridor
Yerevan recalled that this step by Azerbaijan was preceded by the
kidnapping of 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan on July 29, who was
transported to the Republic of Armenia to receive immediate medical
assistance by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"This is a gross violation of the tripartite declaration of November
9, 2020, the legally binding decisions of the International Court of
Justice and open disregard for the unequivocal and direct calls of
the international community, including members of the UN Security
Council.
These incidents, which took place under various far-fetched pretexts,
give rise to well-founded fears that Azerbaijan openly plans to
collectively punish all the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who in the
1990s and in 2020, had to face a large-scale aggression unleashed by
Azerbaijan, and to protect their right to a peaceful life in their
homeland," the Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed conviction.
Yerevan added that the deprivation of all fundamental rights of the
all population of Nagorno-Karabakh, regardless of age, gender and
health status- starving them, blocking the supply of medicines,
essential goods, gas and electricity, sniping the civilian population
and terrorizing the entire population, kidnapping the people of
Artsakh, blocking the Kashatagh (Lachin) corridor, demonstrate the
real aspirations of the leadership of Azerbaijan. The Armenian
Foreign Ministry is convinced that the real goal of Azerbaijan is to
avoid dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh, and instead continue the policy
of ethnic cleansing.
"Instead of supporting the steps aimed at establishing peace and
stability in the region, the Azerbaijani side has clearly put all its
efforts into their failure.
The prevention of mass crimes using all possible tools is a direct
obligation undertaken by all parties that influence the situation,
and by the civilized world as a whole," the Armenian Foreign Ministry
stressed. The prevention of the mass crime taking place, using
all possible instruments, is the direct obligation assumed by all
actors who have an influence on the situation and, by the civilized
world, in general.