Since December 2022, the Armenian populations of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) have been subjected to the blockade organized by Azerbaijan and its dictator I. Aliyev.
The Lachin corridor, the only possible access to Artsakh from Armenia, is blocked by Azerbaijan in defiance of international law. The European Union signed an agreement on July 18, 2022 with Azerbaijan on the supply of gas. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, declared on this occasion that Azerbaijan is a “reliable partner”.
In his very long interview given to a weekly, the President of the Republic evoked the situation of Artsakh in ambiguous terms which suggest that French diplomacy will align itself with that of the European Union and abandon the populations Armenians of Artsakh to their executioner.
Renouncing to defend the integrity of this small Republic which declared its independence after a referendum organized in accordance with the law of the time, France is preparing to accept its retrocession to Azerbaijan in exchange for an illusory promise of the establishment of a lasting peace with Armenia.
How can we believe that the Aliev dictatorship would respect the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh when it violates those of its own citizens? The project of Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan is to eradicate the Armenian presence in the South Caucasus to establish territorial continuity between the two countries. Not only will abandoning Artaskh not save Armenia, but it will comfort Azerbaijan in its demands for further territorial gains.
The French Communist Party asked, on December 31, 2019, the French government to officially recognize the Republic of Artsakh. After the 2020 war and the annexation by force of part of its territory by Azerbaijan, we consider that its recognition by France is even more than yesterday a condition for the protection of its populations and a prerequisite for conflict resolution in the South Caucasus.
Missak Manouchian, whose family was a victim of the 1915 genocide, gave his life for our freedom. Let us not abandon the Armenian populations of Artsakh threatened with a new genocide.
This article is originally published on armenews.com
