Yerevan: Baku using Ukraine crisis to complete ethnic cleansing in Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbijan has taken advantage of the total preoccupation of the international community with the crisis in Ukraine to complete its ethnic cleansing campaign against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), lawmaker from the ruling Civil Contract party Eduard Aghajanyan told a PACE session on Tuesday, April 26.

"Since February 2022, the Azerbaijani forces have continuously terrorized the population of the border villages of Artsakh through various criminal acts of physical threats and psychological pressure, through intimidating statements addressed to the civilians via loudspeakers," Aghajanyan said.

"In regularly played statements, the population of the bordering villages are being told to stop farming and leave their homes, otherwise being threatened by physical reprise of their families."

Aghajanyan reminded that the gas supply was disrupted twice in March, which left the population of Artsakh with no means to heat their homes amid freezing temperatures.

Said instances, he said, are a classical example of an act of ethnic cleansing, while on international platforms, Azerbaijani officials often state that the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is over and that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can live peacefully in their homes.

"On the ground, however, Azerbaijan is attempting to force a final round of ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, taking advantage, once again, of the international community's distraction by the Ukrainian crisis." the MP said.

"Armenia remains committed to an agenda of peace in the South Caucasus and sees the final and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship."

Azerbaijan has broken into Nagorno-Karabakh, and the incursion has left three Armenian soldiers dead and at least 14 others injured. On March 24, Azerbaijan stormed into the zone of the responsibility of the Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area and is refusing to completely withdraw its forces from strategic heights.