European NGOs urge EU leaders to sanction Azerbaijan, end Artsakh  blockade

ArmInfo. Over 470 European NGOs addressed letters to the leaders of the EU and Council of Europe,  calling for immediate and effective steps to end the Artsakh blockade by Azerbaijan. Below is the letter reading:  Honorable Presidents of the European Council, European Commission,  European Parliament, and EU High Representative/VP, Distinguished Heads of Member States, Heads of Government and  Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union and Council of  Europe,

We, the civil society organizations and associations from Europe, are  addressing to you our deepest concerns regarding the native Armenian  population of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh):

Since 12 December 2022 the native Armenian population of Nagorno  Karabakh/Artsakh - 120.000 people, including 30.000 children, have  been facing existential threat by Azerbaijan, in total violation of  international law, Geneva Convention and despite the ongoing  negotiations. The November 2020 ceasefire statement, also signed by  Azerbaijan after its devastating attack on Artsakh that left 6.000  dead, is being regularly violated by Azerbaijan. The latter  continuously carries acts of aggressions against the native Armenian  population of Artsakh and violates the sovereign borders of the  Republic of Armenia.

On 22 February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of the  United Nations ordered Azerbaijan to immediately lift the blockade of  the Lachin corridor. The goal of the blockade is obvious - the ethnic  cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh. In its  resolution adopted in March 2023 the European Parliament calls on the  EU Council to impose sanctions against Azerbaijani government  officials, if the ICJ's order of 22 February is not immediately  implemented.  Despite this, and the numerous voices being raised  across Europe and around the world, we regretfully observe that the  European Commission continues to congratulate itself on its gas  partnership with a dictatorship ranked among the worst on the planet  - Azerbaijan. A government that is notorious for its deep-rooted  corruption at the highest level, and which hires jihadist mercenaries  as a support to its army.

In the name of respect for human rights, the values that European  democracies claim to stand for, in the name of the sovereign right of  peoples to self-determination and as citizens contributing to the  prosperity and influence of the European Union who are concerned  about its future, we solemnly ask you to act without delay and demand  once again that Azerbaijan immediately stops violating the November 9  ceasefire statement and remove the checkpoint on the Hakari-bridge  installed in blatant violation of the binding order of the ICJ and  international commitments, unblock the Lachin Corridor, secure the  free and safe movement of people and goods to and from Artsakh;

impose economic and political sanctions on Azerbaijan and its leaders  for non-compliance with international provisions, for the occupation  of part of the territory of the Republic of Armenia, for Azerbaijan's  war crimes and for the blockade vis-…-vis Artsakh;

use all your leverage to prevent any control of Baku over Artsakh  since this inevitably means the ethnic cleansing of the native  Armenian population of Artsakh; 

recognize the right to self-determination of the native Armenian  population of Artsakh as indispensable and use the leverage at your  disposal to ensure that the status of Artsakh reflects the democratic  expression of will of its native Armenian population and enables  sustainable peace as well as security;

set up an air corridor in order to provide emergency economic and  humanitarian aid to Artsakh and to guarantee the safety of air links  from Stepanakert airport;

put pressure on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally  withdraw all its troops from the sovereign territory of the Republic  of Armenia and stop its aggressive stance towards Artsakh and the  Republic of Armenia as a prerequisite for peace talks. 

The native Armenian people of Artsakh demand nothing less and nothing  more than the protection of their fundamental and inalienable right  to live as a free people in safety and with dignity in their own  homeland.  We sincerely hope that their voices as well as ours will  be heard!