BBC HARDtalk: State Minister says Karabakh people will stay strongJanuary 23, 2023 - 16:39 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Minister of State Ruben Vardanyan spoke to the BBC’s HARDtalk on Sunday, January 23, expressing conviction that his people will stay strong amid Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor. “It’s very important for the world to know what’s happening in a locked out territory, where 120 thousand people living in their own homeland for thousands of years and fighting for their independence during the last 35 years, have been blocked by Azerbaijani “eco-activists” since December 12. With support from the Azerbaijani state, they now control the road, and we don’t get anything [from anywhere] except from the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers. We have no gas, limited electricity; no food and medicine, no gasoline can enter our territory without the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeepers,” Vardanyan said. “From 1988 Armenians of Artsakh have been saying “we will not be part of Azerbaijan.” And they fight for their freedom. Today we are posing a very clear questions to the world, saying “do we have a right to self-determination, especially in a state that violated all the human rights for its own people?” He reminded that children returning to Artsakh after spending six weeks in Armenia were stopped, and psychologically abused by the Azerbaijanis. “There are no rights for the Azerbaijani people [in Azerbaijan], let alone Armenians. How do you see the possibility for an ethnic minority to get any rights or any defense? We don’t see any chance,” the Karabakh State Minister said. Vardanyan reiterated that he was not going to leave Karabakh, as well as dismissed reports that there were discrepancies between the Artsakh and Armenia. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |