A ceasefire was announced this Wednesday, September 20 in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenian separatists agreed to lay down their arms and begin negotiations on the reintegration of this territory into Azerbaijan, 24 hours after the outbreak. by Baku of a major military offensive. Hohvannès Guevorkian, representative in France of this disputed region, answers questions from RFI.
2 mins
RFI: Is this ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, where the separatists are laying down their arms, a defeat against Azerbaijan which launched an armed operation on Tuesday ?
Hohvannès Guevorkian: The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh who are fighting for their survival have were forced to lay down their arms. A surrender which removes the last obstacle to a policy that we describe as ethnic cleansing, even genocide of Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. Today, the Armenian population there is devoid of any defense, it will probably be forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh.
We would naturally have liked international protection to be put in place.
Azerbaijan says it wants to negotiate the peaceful reintegration of Nagorno-Karabakh into its territory.
After this violent attack of which we are the victims, you imagine what “ negotiations » it will be: an Azerbaijani diktat that we will accept, or else we will have to leave the territory. I remind you that Azerbaijan is a racist, anti-Armenian country, where society as a whole hates Armenians, where killing an Armenian is glorified. And it is in this society that Azerbaijan speaks of “ reintegration “.
Should the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh prepare for the exodus?
Yes, but the whole question is whether Azerbaijan will let them go or want to punish every last one of them. Since these are men who took weapons for their self-defense. It is very likely that Azerbaijan will not let them out.
Read alsoWhy are we talking about a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh?