In the run-up to a conference on Nagorno Karabakh at the European Parliament, hosted by MEP Costas Mavrides (Cyprus, S&D), the co-organizer of the conference European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) and the platform of ‘Europeans for Artsakh’ invite to
a press conference on 7 November, at 11.00-12.30 at Press Club
with the participation of prominent international key-note speakers who will shed light on the developments in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and the rights of its indigenous Armenian population.
The key-note speakers are
Luis Moreno Ocampo – the former Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC),
Irene Victoria Massimino – Co-Founder of the Lemkin Institute and Director of Legal Affairs,
Karnig Kerkonian – international lawyer and advocate educated at Harvard, Cambridge and the University of Chicago.
The press conference aims at elaborating on the developments in Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh since 2020 war from the perspective of international law, human rights as well the response of the international community, the main players involved in mediation, with a particular focus on the role of the EU.
Registration: secretary@pressclub.be
Background:
After nine months of blockade, imposing starvation and all methods of intimidation, on 19 September 2023 Azerbaijan unleashed a large-scale military aggression against the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh, including 30.000 children. This led to the forced deportation of the entire Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh. Thus, Azerbaijan perpetrated an ethnic cleansing, uprooting an indigenous population from its homeland of millennia.
Since the summer of 2021 the EU, represented by the President of the Council Charles Michel, emerged as a major player in the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations. President Michel has undertaken the role of a Mediator of the meetings between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The EUSR Toivo Klaar has also undertaken an active role. On 5 October 2023 the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution by overwhelming majority where it unequivocally condemns the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan. The EP resolution also expresses “deep dissatisfaction at the fact that regular alerts by Parliament regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the risks of a catastrophic outcome have been disregarded by the Commission and the Council.
