Armenia raises Karabakh ethnic cleansing at Francophonie meeting

PanARMENIAN.Net - From November 4 to 5, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahe Gevorgyan participated in the 44th Francophonie Ministerial Forum in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, during which he delivered a speech, presenting Armenia's position on various issues on the agenda of the International Organization of Francophonie.

Weighing in on the broad agenda of cooperation between Armenia and La Francophonie, the deputy minister reaffirmed Yerevan’s commitment to the strengthening of the fundamental values of the organization – peace, democracy, rule of law and protection of human rights.

In his speech, Gevorgyan also spoke about the large-scale military attack unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19 and Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian. He reminded that Armenia is making significant efforts today to provide a dignified welcome to more than 100,000 refugees, including 30,000 children, forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, the need for international protection of the rights of the displaced Karabakh population was highlighted.

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. Over 100,000 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.