Human rights activist: "Protecting the rights of the people of Artsakh is a matter of the rights of all Armenians."

ArmInfo. Protecting the rights of the people of Artsakh is a problem not only for the people of Artsakh themselves, but for the entire Armenian nation. Human rights activist Nina Karapetyants stated this on October 29 at a press conference in Yerevan entitled "International Obligations and the National Agenda in the Context of COP17: Assessments and Conclusions."

She noted that all efforts to restore the rights of the people of Artsakh are not in vain. "Many people think that if there are no concrete results at this stage, then all actions taken are meaningless. However, this is not true, as no action is without consequences." "This is extremely difficult work, especially in a situation where the current government is openly pursuing a policy that is directly contrary to its stated goals and, moreover, threatens those who dare to take steps in this direction," Karapetyants noted.

At the same time, she emphasized that there are sufficient grounds for protecting the rights of the Artsakh people. "Unfortunately, based on political expediency, both the Armenian authorities and the international community have taken the position that they know and see nothing. That is why it is crucial to continue sending letters, holding meetings, and consistently drawing attention to the problem. After all, the demands of the Artsakh people concern rights enshrined in international law," the human rights activist emphasized.

At the same time, she noted that among the residents of Armenia, there are also people who misperceive the Artsakh issue, believing that it does not concern them. Meanwhile, as Karapetyants recalled, Azerbaijan has long and consistently, without hiding its intentions, openly referred to Armenia as so-called "Western Azerbaijan." "Over time, it will become clear to everyone that what was happening affected not only the people of Artsakh, but all Armenians. And then we may all face extremely serious challenges. We must understand: the more we renounce our rights, the more Azerbaijan's appetites grow, and the more difficult it becomes to protect the rights of all Armenians," Karapetyants emphasized.

The human rights activist also identified the politicization of humanitarian issues as a serious problem. In her opinion, many of them, from the blockade of Artsakh to the issue of prisoners of war, have been politicalized, significantly complicating their resolution. "Overall, this is an extremely complex problem, and we are living in difficult times. That is why it is so important not to succumb to despondency and disillusionment. "Times are changing. We just need to remain steadfast and consistent," Karapetyants concluded.

As a reminder, on September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan, under the pretext of an "anti-terrorist operation," launched another act of aggression against Artsakh. This was preceded by a nearly 10-month blockade of the republic. Since the enemy aggression that began in the fall of 2020, which culminated in the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in September 2023, over 150,000 Artsakh residents have lost their homeland and become refugees.