Simonyan: international law failed in Nagorno-Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan expressed gratitude to members of the European Parliament who have strongly condemned Azerbaijan’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the presence of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan, and other critical issues in their reports and speeches. He also stated that international humanitarian law has failed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Simonyan made these remarks during the 4th session of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee in Yerevan, emphasizing that cooperation between Armenia and the European Parliament will continue to strengthen due to both political will and public demand.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the European Parliament who, over the years, have closely followed developments in the region, recognized Armenia’s challenges, listened to our concerns, and, in their reports and speeches, condemned Azerbaijan’s devastating war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians, the occupation of Armenia’s sovereign territory, severe human rights violations, the detention of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan, and the vandalism against Armenian cultural and religious heritage.

Unfortunately, all these reactions were not enough, and international humanitarian law has failed in Nagorno-Karabakh," Simonyan stated.

Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh on September 19, 2023, subjecting the entire region to heavy shelling. The next day, on September 20, the authorities of the Artsakh Republic accepted the Russian peacekeeping mission’s proposal to cease fire and agreed to Baku’s terms, including the disarmament of the Artsakh Defense Army and the dissolution of the Artsakh Republic. Forced displacement of Artsakh’s population began on September 24, with over 100,000 Armenians fleeing to Armenia. Reports indicate that only about 20 Armenians remain in Artsakh. On September 28, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on the republic’s dissolution, which took effect on January 1, 2024.