Thursday, February 22 2024 16:01

ArmInfo.The "Europeans for Artsakh" movement has sent a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) concerning Azerbaijan's participation in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and has  called on the IOC to undertake concrete measures.

The letter was also  sent to the French National Olympic Committee, the French Olympic  Games Organising Committee, the City of Paris, the President of the  French Republic and the Minister for Sport and the Olympic and  Paralympic Games. The Movement's press release reads.

"Referring to the ongoing conflict and the ethnic cleansing committed  by Azerbaijan against the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-  Karabakh/Artsakh, the "Europeans for Artsakh" movement has urged the  IOC to ban Azerbaijan from being represented as a state at the  forthcoming Olympic Games and to allow Azerbaijani athletes to  compete only under a neutral banner. This call comes in the wake of  Azerbaijan's genocidal policy and ethnic cleansing in  Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, which led to the forced displacement of  120,000 Armenians from their ancestral lands and homeland in  September 2023.

Only the French National Olympic Committee replied to the letter,  acknowledging the situation and indicating that its position was in  line with that of the French government and its diplomatic efforts,  while stating: "we cannot remain insensitive to such a catastrophe."  Europeans for Artsakh expects a clear position from the International  Olympic Committee, since a failure to respond would undermine the  integrity of the Olympic Games and pave the way for warmongering  states.  The movement will continue to put pressure for the sake of  integrity and justice in this regard," they concluded.

"Europeans for Artsakh" is a pan-European movement bringing together  the representative bodies of the 15 Armenian communities in Europe.  It was the initiator of an appeal addressed to the leaders of the  European Council, the European Commission and the European  Parliament, as well as to the leaders of the Member States of the  Council of Europe, in support of the Armenian population of  Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh. This appeal was co-signed by more than 500  European associations.

The mission of this movement is to mobilise citizens and take the  necessary action to ensure that the fundamental rights of the  indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh/ Nagorno Karabakh are  exercised and guaranteed. "Europeans for Artsakh" raises awareness on  this issue in the political, social, and cultural spheres in Europe.