In 2020, Azerbaijan unleashed a destructive war against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh which led to thousands of casualties, displacement, loss of a significant part of the homeland of the native Armenians of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s encroachment on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Since the 44-day war in 2020, the Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh has been facing existential danger. Azerbaijan’s constant violations of the ceasefire declaration of 9 November 2020 and its ongoing military aggression are a manifestation of its policy of ethnic cleansing against the Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh as well as the country’s aggressive expansionism against the Republic of Armenia.
The EAFJD
- works towards raising awareness of and defending the fundamental right of the Armenian population of Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh to live in peace, dignity and safety in their homeland, as well as to determine their present and future, i.e. their right to self-determination;
- sensitizes political circles in Europe to the ongoing Azerbaijani policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s state-policy of inciting hatred against Armenians, also known as Armenophobia and mobilizes them against this destructive policy.
- influences the legislative processes in the European Parliament and in national parliaments in Europe, the Council of Europe, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly so that the decisions are congruent with fundamental rights of Artsakh;
- promotes parliamentary diplomacy between the Republic of Artsakh and European states: facilitates visits of political and public figures to Artsakh in order to ensure a realistic assessment of the situation on the ground;
- co-organizes the launch of friendship groups with the Republic of Artsakh in the European Parliament and on the national level across Europe;
- contributes to the establishment of cooperation between educational institutions, in particular institutions of higher education in the Republic of Artsakh and Europe;
- facilitates the meetings of official high-level delegations from the Republic of Artsakh with politicians and representatives of relevant fields in Brussels;
- co-organizes conferences and cultural events in the European Parliament and other significant public and cultural institutions, so as to achieve better understanding of Artsakh among the European decision-makers and the broader public;
- deploys international independent short-term election observation missions inter alia to the Republic of Artsakh, according to the OSCE/ODIHR methodology;
- empowers young professionals from Artsakh, providing them with an opportunity to gain practical insight into its work and the functioning of the EU through internship programs;
- works towards breaking the isolation imposed on the people of Artsakh by Azerbaijan for more than 30 years and advocates against their marginalization or exclusion from the conflict resolution.
