ArmInfo. Below is a written request by 16 Swiss MPs to the Swiss government concerning the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians'rights:
"September 19 marks the anniversary of the day when Azerbaijan attacked and expelled the entire Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh after subjecting them to a 10-month blockade. This blockade resulted in the violent prevention of the supply of essential goods (food, medical supplies, medicines, etc.) through the Lachin Corridor. The physical and psychological pressure became unbearable, and many pregnant women suffered the loss of their child during this period. Azerbaijan's campaign is widely viewed as ethnic cleansing or genocide, as then-ICJ Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo noted in his August 2023 report.
"At least 23 Armenians are still being held hostage by the Azerbaijani government, and Azerbaijan has launched a program of mass destruction of cultural heritage. Churches, medieval cemeteries and entire villages belonging to the Armenians who lived there continuously for thousands of years are being demolished.
"Despite these atrocities, Azerbaijan has not been sanctioned or held accountable in any way by the international community. On the contrary, last December Azerbaijan was chosen to host the upcoming UN climate conference COP29.
"In view of this, I ask the Federal Council to answer the following questions:
"Does Switzerland recognise the right of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their homeland and exercise their right of self-determination there?
"Does the Swiss delegation at COP29 intend to raise the issue of the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh and the right of return of its inhabitants?"