Open Letter to the President of the European Council Charles Michel

Dear President Michel,

We, the undersigned European citizens or residents of Armenian heritage, want to express our grave concern regarding the so-called “peace deal” you are mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

European values of democracy, equality and human rights are of immense importance to us and we think it is our duty to inform you what your actions as a peace mediator may result in.

By mediating this “peace deal” you are putting the lives of 120 000 people under direct threat of extermination, triggering death, forced relocation, and huge refugee crisis which will most probably affect the EU directly. Is the EU ready to face a new wave of refugees this time from the Republic of Artsakh and, most probably, Armenia itself?

The Republic of Artsakh has been under a blockade since December 12th 2022. The blockade has deprived the citizens of Artsakh of basic human rights. According to a recent report by the human rights defender of the Republic of Artsakh, the citizens of Artsakh were deprived of healthcare, gas and electricity, to name a few of the human rights violations [1].

This inhumane blockade combined with Azerbaijan’s long standing record of unprovoked aggressions, namely war crimes against Armenian civilians clearly demonstrate Azerbaijan’s genocidal intentions and therefore there is no guarantee for the safety of the Armenians in Artsakh under the dictatorial rule of Ilham Aliyev and a peace deal could likely result in ethnic cleansing. The Lemkin Institute of Genocide Prevention has issued numerous red flag alerts for genocide on Azerbaijan’s actions against Armenia and Artsakh [2]. Additionally, Ilham Aliyev’s recent statements, such as the “border will pass where we say” are not the rhetoric of a leader genuinely preparing for peace [3, 4]. Moreover, according to the ceasefire agreement from November 9th 2020 [5] Azerbaijan was obliged to release the POWs, which so far has not happened.

We would like to bring to your remembrance the Basic Principles for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which were proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group based on the Helsinki Final Act (1975) [6]: specifically the principles of Non-Use of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Equal Rights and Self-Determination of Peoples. It is also important to mention that Azerbaijan is responsible for breaking the principle of Non-Use of Force twice in 2016 and 2020, occupation of the most part of the Republic of Artsakh, ethnic cleansing, and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the occupied territories. Even after the ceasefire agreement on November 9th 2020, Azerbaijan forced the residents of Aghavno, Berdzor and Nerkin Sus to leave their homes, thus ethnically cleansing these territories and demolishing all possible traces of Armenian culture.

Considering the above-mentioned, the only safety guarantee for Armenians in Artsakh is through self-determination and it can under no circumstances be guaranteed with Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan. Additionally, the Republic of Artsakh is a thriving democracy, while Azerbaijan is an authoritarian state where the presidential post is passed from father to son. You are forcing a self-determined democracy into an authoritarian state against its will despite all warnings for total elimination of the Armenian presence in these territories.

We also remind you, that according to international law [7], any agreement signed under duress or coercion is not valid.

We thus urge you to take into consideration the human rights violations Azerbaijan is continuously committing against the people of Artsakh and Armenia proper, the ethnic cleansing that will take place, if a peace deal in its current form is signed as well as the undemocratic and unlawful aspects of the deal and we call upon you to refrain from acting as a mediator for signing this imposed peace deal which will result in everything but peace for the Armenian people.

The people’s will for a free and independent existence must prevail over undemocratic decisions prompted by aggressions. Democracy should not be a double standard.
It should be equally applied to all who fight for it.

Yours sincerely,
Byurakn Ishkhanyan, Copenhagen, Denmark
Arpine Martirosyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Arpine Kocharyan, Heidelberg, Germany
Ohannes Ohannessian, Stockholm, Sweden
Susanna Hovhannisyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Tatevik-Natalia Martirosyan, Stockholm,Sweden
Hrachya Harutyunyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Roupina Wannessian, Stockholm, Sweden
Lucy Wannessian, Stockholm, Sweden
Daniel Markarian, Stockholm, Sweden
Darious Filo, Stockholm, Sweden
Narine Markosyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Anna Kocharyan, Heidelberg, Germany
Sarkis Boghos, Stockholm, Sweden
Antranik Boghos, Stockholm, Sweden
Arik Boghos, Stockholm, Sweden
Robina Vardanjan, Stockholm, Sweden
Emanuela Avagyan, Groningen, Netherlands
Armen Antonyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Ara Kocharyan, Basel, Switzerland
Anna Khachaturyan, Herning, Denmark
Ole Michael Andersen, Herning, Denmark
Ofelia Vardanjan, Stockholm , Sweden
Masis Abrigian, Stockholm, Sweden
Milena Ayvazyan, Lund, Sweden
Aileen Keshish, Stockholm, Sweden
Lilit Sahakyan, Vejle, Denmark
Komed Aghayan, Halle, Germany
Artur Stepanyan, Enköping, Sweden
Jeanett Lykke Andersen, Esbjerg, Denmark
Anahit Meliksetyan, Berlin, Germany
Armen Hovhannisyan, Stockholm, Sweden
Anahit Avagyan, Gurre, Denmark
Jonas Karlsson, Gurre, Denmark
Astrid Karlsson, Gurre, Denmark