Artak Beglaryan, president of the Artsakh Union, publicly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump on July 22 for reposting a video clip of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s speech in depopulated Shushi via Truth Social. Beglaryan urged Trump not to legitimize a dictator responsible for immeasurable suffering and the destruction of an ancient Christian nation, according to Panorama.am.

“Mr. President,

• With deep respect, I must express my pain and concern over your decision to share a video of Ilham Aliyev — one of the most criminal and authoritarian leaders of our time.
• He called attention to several key facts:
• Aliyev has committed genocide and crimes against humanity targeting the indigenous Christian Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), forcibly displacing over 100,000 people in September 2023. This has been widely recognized as ethnic cleansing.
• On October 23, 2024, Trump himself labeled these actions “ethnic cleansing” and “forced displacement,” pledging to take steps to address them. Beglaryan asks: who else but Aliyev committed these crimes, whose video Trump now promotes?
• Aliyev has tortured Armenian civilians and prisoners of war solely due to their ethnic and religious identity — as documented by independent international organizations. These are not political accusations but verified human rights violations.
• Under Aliyev’s orders, numerous Armenian churches and heritage sites have been destroyed, desecrated, or altered in an attempt to erase the region’s centuries-old Christian Armenian legacy.
• Aliyev has publicly incited Azerbaijani youth to hate Armenians, built a grotesque “military park” mocking fallen Armenian soldiers, and institutionalized hatred in education and public discourse.
• Azerbaijani forces have not only occupied Artsakh but also invaded Armenia’s sovereign territory, openly threatening further aggression against a peaceful, democratic neighbor.
• On October 26, 2020, Aliyev promised a ceasefire to Trump’s administration but broke it within hours, undermining U.S. peacemaking efforts before the election.

Beglaryan stressed that the speech Trump shared was delivered from occupied Shushi — one of the most sacred and historic Armenian cities in Artsakh. For decades, U.S. legislators and administrations have supported the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, including Shushi, to self-determination.

“As a victim of Aliyev’s genocidal policies and a voice for my displaced people, I respectfully urge you: do not legitimize a tyrant who has inflicted immeasurable suffering on an ancient Christian nation.

Instead, we ask you to uphold your own words — help stop the violence and ethnic cleansing. Our people continue to hope the United States, and especially you, will stand for justice, freedom, and truth.

We seek your support in:

– Ensuring our people’s safe, dignified, and sustainable return to their homeland

– Protecting our endangered religious and cultural heritage

– Releasing Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons

– Combating state-sponsored anti-Armenian hatred and fascist propaganda in Azerbaijan

Please do not let authoritarian “peace” rhetoric obscure our people’s real and ongoing tragedy.”

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a massive assault on Artsakh, subjecting the entire territory to intense shelling. On September 20, the Artsakh authorities accepted the Russian peacekeepers’ proposal for a ceasefire and surrendered to Baku’s terms, including disarmament and dissolution of the Republic. From September 24, over 100,000 Armenians were forcibly displaced to Armenia. By some estimates, only about 20 Armenians remained in Artsakh. On September 28, Artsakh President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on the republic’s dissolution, effective January 1, 2024.