Artsakh human rights defender Gegham Stepanyan wrote on his Facebook page:
“Aliyev’s statements are a clear indicator that all talks about ensuring the rights and security of the people of Artsakh are empty words. The statehood and state bodies of the Artsakh Republic were formed due to the will of the Artsakh people through the realization of the natural right of self-determination and are aimed at serving the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Artsakh people.
The recent statements of the Azerbaijani president against them and the threats in them once again reveal what goals are hidden under the Azerbaijani promises of “rights and security” during the negotiations.
Aliyev’s statements should be an impulse for all parties involved in the settlement of the conflict, that without recognizing the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, talks about ensuring other rights and freedoms are baseless and disconnected from reality. Moreover, they are used by Azerbaijan to hide the agenda of Armenian hatred and the policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Artsakh.
How can a sane person believe that Azerbaijan, which brutally kills civilians, wages war against Armenian cultural values and even Armenian graves, or deliberately keeps the people of Artsakh under siege for half a year and leaves them without gas and electricity supply, can provide rights and security?
The facts are more than clear and understandable. Azerbaijan does not even hide its goals. While understanding these simple truths, I remind all those parties who ignore or deliberately engage in self-deception that the responsibility of preventing crimes against humanity lies with the international community as a collective community, and the failure of this responsibility is everyone’s collaboration.”
