Return of Artsakh people not utopia, but fundamental right democratic  states are obliged to protect - France-Artsakh firendship group

ArmInfo.  Ethnic cleansing is not an inevitable fate, and the return of the Artsakh people is not a utopia, but a fundamental right that democratic states are obliged to protect. This statement was made by the France-Artsakh Friendship Circle in light of the adoption by the Belgian Chamber of  Representatives on July 17, 2025 of a resolution on the situation in  the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the need to ensure sustainable  peace in the South Caucasus.

The statement of the friendship circle recalls that by its  resolution, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives condemned the  military attack of Azerbaijan on Artsakh on September 19, 2023, as  well as the blockade of the Lachin corridor, which led to a severe  humanitarian crisis and forced displacement of the population. It is  noted that the resolution also condemns the illegal arrest and unfair  trial of the military-political leadership of Artsakh, and steps that  threaten the territorial integrity of Armenia, referring to numerous  international conventions and declarations, as well as resolutions of  the European Parliament and decisions of the International Court.

"In this regard, the resolution calls for the immediate release of  Armenian prisoners of war, allowing access of international observers  to Artsakh and ensuring the safe, prompt and unimpeded return of the  Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with the  decision of the International Court of Justice of 17 November 2023,"  the Friendship Circle said in a statement.

According to the source, the resolution also calls on the Federal  Government of Belgium to support international efforts to investigate  international crimes committed by Azerbaijan and, together with other  states, to appeal to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal  Court on the basis of Article 14 of the Rome Statute.

"At a time when the impunity of the regime of Azerbaijani President  Ilham Aliyev continues to grow, when Armenian military-political  prisoners are deprived of their fundamental rights, and hundreds of  thousands of forcibly displaced Artsakh residents are forced to live  in conditions of permanent migration, this initiative of the Belgian  Parliament is a responsible message," the Friendship Circle  emphasizes in its statement.

As Francois Pouponi, President of the France-Artsakh Friendship  Circle, noted in this regard, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives  thus joins the moral conscience of Europe, arguing that there can be  no peace without justice. In this context, he emphasized that the  European Commission and the governments of the countries whose  parliaments have repeatedly called for sanctions against Azerbaijan  and condemn its actions should stop ignoring these calls.

"They must not act based on geopolitical calculations, but in  accordance with their commitments to defend European values. Because  Europe's strength is based on universal principles, not on their  selective application," Francois Pouponi concluded.

We recall that on July 18, the Belgian House of Representatives  unanimously adopted a resolution at its plenary session on July 17  condemning Azerbaijan's military attack on the Armenians of Artsakh  and the violation of international law. The adopted resolution states  that Azerbaijan's actions against Nagorno- Karabakh and its Armenian  population contradict the fundamental norms of international law. The  resolution also speaks of Azerbaijan's illegal detention of former  leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh and unclear trials. Strongly condemning  this policy of Azerbaijan, it calls on it to release all Armenian  prisoners and guarantee a fair trial. The House of Representatives  also demands that Azerbaijan ensure the preservation of the cultural  and religious heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for allowing a  UNESCO mission to visit the territory to assess the damage.