Narek Karapetyan: The inaction of international structures against the backdrop of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh has given Azerbaijanis free rein

ArmInfo. International courts and bodies that should have acted against those responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh have done absolutely nothing. This was stated by Narek Karapetyan, head of the Strong Armenia parliamentary faction, during his speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on October 2.

Calling the incident of an Azerbaijani soldier entering Armenian territory shocking, Karapetyan noted that in recent years Yerevan has done everything possible to build good relations with all its neighbors.

"An armed Azerbaijani soldier entered Armenian territory, broke into a house, and shot a mother in front of her children. This is the second incident in recent times in which Armenian civilians have been directly attacked by soldiers from a neighboring country. Do you know why these soldiers are so confident? Because there is no punishment for this." "International courts and bodies that should have acted against those responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh have done absolutely nothing," Karapetyan noted.

In this vein, he recalled the brutal murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan by Azerbaijani Ramil Safarov at a NATO training camp in Budapest more than two decades ago.

He recalled that Safarov climbed into Margaryan's sleeping room and cold-bloodedly hacked him to death with an axe. "The killer did not spend a single day in an Azerbaijani prison. Instead, the Azerbaijani president welcomed him, awarded him the title of hero, and allowed him to drive freely through the streets of Baku. By sending him back, the EU member state unwittingly gave the green light to this dangerous behavior. "That's why we saw the same thing yesterday: Azerbaijani soldiers infiltrating Armenian territory, attacking civilians, and then, when extradited to Azerbaijan, turning them into heroes. In this dangerous vicious circle, the European community must not remain a mere observer. Those who commit violence must never be glorified. The lives of peaceful Armenian citizens are paramount. There will be no extradition unless justice is guaranteed. Yes to international justice," Karapetyan stated.

It should be recalled that Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Musayev entered the home of a resident of the village of Shake in the Syunik region and wounded her on the afternoon of October 1. It was later learned that the woman's two minor children, who had helped their mother defend herself from the attack, were also injured. According to a statement from the National Security Service of Armenia, Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities had been searching for the serviceman in question since September 29. No security outreach had been conducted, and residents of the region were kept in the dark. Furthermore, Azerbaijani media reported that the search for the Azerbaijani serviceman had been underway since September 26. His whereabouts during this period remain unknown. Later, Armenian Health Minister Ananit Avanesyan reported that the woman's condition was stable and that she was receiving the necessary medical care. Initially, Armenian authorities opened a criminal case on charges of illegal entry into a home, illegal possession of weapons and ammunition, and causing grievous bodily harm committed with the use of a weapon. Only after public outrage did the Prosecutor General's Office also announce the opening of a criminal case under charges of illegally crossing the Armenian state border. The Investigative Committee of Armenia told ArmInfo that Musayev had been remanded in custody for two months by a court decision.