The "protectorate" of Turkey, Azerbaijan, in the heart of winter with the snow falling even more thickly in the Caucasus mountains, made another move that clearly shows that it maintains a hostile attitude with also clearly non-humanitarian tendencies. In a relatively careful statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh, notes the following:
“On February 6, 2023, Azerbaijan once again cut off gas supplies from Armenia to Artsakh through the only existing pipeline. During the 57 days of the blockade, Azerbaijan cut off gas supplies to Artsakh up to 6 times, notably on December 13, 2022 for three days, on January 17, 2023 for one day, on January 18 for one day, on January 21 for four days and on January 28 for one day, disrupting normal life in the republic and exerting psychological pressure on the people of Artsakh.
As a result of Azerbaijan's actions, 120 thousand residents of the republic, including 30 thousand children, continue to face serious difficulties in accessing heating and hot water in conditions of severe transport blockade and cold winter. The situation is further aggravated by the acute power shortage caused by a failure on January 9 of the only high-voltage power line originating in Armenia, which cannot be restored due to persistent obstruction on the part of Azerbaijan.
Such actions of Azerbaijan clearly show that even after the signing of the Tripartite Declaration of November 9, 2020, official Baku did not abandon its long-term policy of extermination of the people of Artsakh in their historical homeland. To achieve this goal, the Azerbaijani authorities have resorted to the blockade of Artsakh and the disruption of critical energy infrastructure, thereby creating intolerable living conditions and condemning the civilian population to incredible hardship.
Azerbaijan's inhumane actions show that the leadership of this country has placed itself above international law and human morality. Ignoring the calls of many countries and international organizations for the immediate lifting of the Artsakh blockade and the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to ensure the free movement of people and goods through the Lachin Corridor, official Baku actually defied the civilized world.Such behavior was made possible by the impunity of the Baku regime, which gives it a free hand to further strengthen its criminal policy against the native Armenian population of Artsakh.
Under these circumstances, in order to avoid the destruction of the people of Artsakh, we consider it necessary for the international community to direct its efforts not only to end the blockade of Artsakh, but also to take immediate measures, including the activation of early warning mechanisms, appropriate assessment and response to Azerbaijan's genocidal policy".
The Executive and Advisory Committee of the International Association of Genocide Studies (IAGS) unequivocally condemns the exclusion of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) from Azerbaijan as well as the ongoing attack against the indigenous Armenian population of the region. It warns of the threat of genocide against the Armenian population of this entity.We reaffirm, the Embassy of Armenia in Greece states in its announcement, the Announcement of the Executive Council of the IAGS from October 24, 2022 "Regarding the attack of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Armenia and the indigenous Armenians of the South Caucasus", concluding "and we call for the immediate lifting of the blockade".
