Thursday, January 19 2023 19:10

ArmInfo.Europe can put pressure on the Aliyev regime, explain what sanctions can be applied against him and show that it is unacceptable to deprive 120,000  people of heating, including 30,000 children, in winter conditions.  State Minister of the Republic of Artsakh Ruben Vardanyan stated this  in an interview with the prestigious France 24 Television Company,  presenting the situation in Artsakh, in response to the question of  what the European Union can do and how it can help.

"The Europeans should have put pressure on ( the President of  Azerbaijan, ed. note) and explained that this is unacceptable, that  he will not be invited to Davos and that he will not be part of this  civilization. They can create an air corridor so that planes with  humanitarian aid can land in Stepanakert and deliver much-needed food  and medicine to us. I also think that the best conclusion to this  story would be the recognition of Artsakh as an independent state.  Because Azerbaijan is not able to provide normal living conditions  not only for Armenians, but even for its own people. The current  situation once again proves that it is impossible to live in  Azerbaijan, where there is so much pressure and so many attacks on  the civilian population," Vardanyan said. 

Answering the question of how the people of Artsakh are coping with  the blockade, the State Minister noted that, despite all these  difficulties, the people are strong. "They say that since they are  fighting for their independence, they are ready to stay and show  courage and not succumb to oppression. People understand the  situation and accept that this is a difficult period, which is a  continuation of the war that began in 2020. It was not finished on  November 9th. So people here are ready to fight despite all this  pressure," the official said. 

When asked in whose hands is the key to solving and ending the  suffering of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan replied  that the main "beneficiary" of all this is the Aliyev regime, since  the presence of an external enemy allows him to support his regime.   "Let's not forget that the same family has been running the country  for decades. Therefore, the only way to maintain unity within the  country is to have an external enemy, which can always be used to  consolidate one's own people. That is why the key is in the hands of  the people of Azerbaijan, because their children are dying during the  war, they are poor, although they have so much oil and gas. And the  civilized international community should make it clear that this is  unacceptable. France, Russia, the US, Iran, Turkey are big players,  but in the end our goal and responsibility is to show determination  and courage to defend our independence. One day Azerbaijan must  understand that the only way to live side by side is to be neighbors,  not part of Azerbaijan," Vardanyan assured. 

The State Minister of Artsakh noted that Europe continues trading  activities with Azerbaijan, accepting an authoritarian regime that is  trying to destroy a democratic country like Artsakh. He called it "an  example of the double standards of many big players". "Russia,  Europe, the US can play a big role. France is one of the exceptional  countries that supported the Armenians of Artsakh from the very first  day of the blockade. I want to thank you for this. I think that  Russia, France and the US should return to the negotiating table of  the Minsk Group and try to put pressure on Azerbaijan from three  sides," Ruben Vardanyan summed up.   Since December 12, 2022, for 39 days now, the Azerbaijani side, under  a far-fetched environmental pretext, blocked the only road connecting  Artsakh with the outside world. The population of the NKR has been in  a blockade for more than a month, deprived of basic means of  subsistence. Since January 9, Artsakh has been deprived of the  opportunity to receive electricity from Armenia, due to the  destructive actions of Azerbaijan. Rolling blackouts occur on a daily  basis in the republic. Moreover, from noon on January 12, the enemy  side also interrupted the communication cable that provides the  country's population with Internet and telephone communications. It  was restored only on January 14, thanks to the efforts of Russian  peacekeepers. We also add that on January 17, around noon, the enemy  side stopped the gas supply to Artsakh. By the evening, through  negotiations, it was possible to restore the gas supply to the NKR.   However, on January 18 in the morning gas supply to Artsakh has been  stopped again.