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crisis. Humanitarian shipments, including about peace, preparing for war, and spreading
Elchin Amirbayov, Assistant to the First medicines, food, and other essential goods, misinformation. Its forces looted Azerbaijani
Vice-President of Azerbaijan, also served move easily into Karabakh. Local civilians towns and villages, erasing every sign of
as Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United facing urgent medical and other essential Azerbaijani cultural heritage, and plundered
Nations office in Geneva, France and the needs can leave for Armenia and return back its mineral resources.
Holy See. along the road.
By 2020, Azerbaijan’s patience had worn thin.
Article first published in Newsweek, To prevent any humanitarian crisis, Baku gives In the Second Karabakh War, it demonstrated
Opinion, 30 January 2023. Reproduced the International Red Cross unimpeded access its resolute determination to reclaim its stolen
with the authorisation of the author. to the road. It also allows free movement to land.
Russian peacekeepers. Soldiers of Russia,
Armenia’s greatest ally, are better placed than In the Trilateral Statement of November 10,
any other international actor to reassure 2020 (the agreement signed by the leaders of
Yerevan regarding the physical security of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia that brought
Karabakh Armenians. the Second Karabakh to an end), Armenia
agreed to accept new reality on the ground and
Which brings us to the second spurious build peace. Ever since, however, Armenia
claim, namely, that Azerbaijan is denying has misused the Lachin road to: export from
ethnic Armenians in Karabakh their rights. Karabakh to Armenia plundered Azerbaijani
Understanding why this is a blatant falsehood mineral resources; build up its military forces
requires historical context. The truth is quickly in Karabakh; infiltrate third-country nationals
told. During the First Karabakh War, which to erect new fortifications; and smuggle in
ended in 1994, Armenian forces occupied landmines to continue its mine terror against
and ethnically cleansed Karabakh and other Azerbaijanis.
surrounding Azerbaijani territories of ethnic
reflecting Azerbaijanis. They killed, raped, and tortured These are not the actions of a country preparing
many hundreds of innocent civilians, driving for peace—and Azerbaijan is all too familiar
on the peace over 800,000 people from their homes, often in with these tactics. It will not permit Armenia,
the dead of winter, with the Khojaly massacre once again, to ensnare it in interminable
process being the peak of this barbarity. negotiations all the while preparing for war.
As to the Lachin road, transparency of any
These crimes committed in total impunity and movement along it must be immediately
still awaiting justice, were well recorded while guaranteed.
The South Caucasus is the crossroads between European pressure to bear on Baku. The they happened. As a result, international law
resource-rich Central Asia and resource-hungry longer-term goal is to scuttle the peace process and every major power in the world reaffirm Time is of essence. Sane policy grounded in
European economy. Peace between Armenia that began in November 2020, when Armenia Karabakh as sovereign Azerbaijani territory, reality can still prevent new tragedies. Yerevan
and Azerbaijan will foster the prosperity not acknowledged its defeat in the war. and full restoration of effective Azerbaijani must stop relying on dreams and fantasies and
just of the Armenians and Azerbaijanis but of all control of Karabakh is seen as the basis for a deal with hard facts. Armenia and its allies
Eurasia. The resounding victory of Azerbaijan The disinformation campaign focuses on just and lasting peace. For this reason, United must stop using the Armenians of Karabakh
in the Second Karabakh War of 2020 created events along the Lachin Road, linking Nations Security Council Resolutions 822, as pawns in a cynical game of power politics.
an historic opportunity to turn the page, to Armenia with Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, 853, 874 and 884 all demand the “complete, If those involved in facilitating the peace
leave hostilities behind and normalize relations and it advances two main claims. First, that immediate and unconditional withdrawal” process will read the realities accurately, they
based on international law. “blockade” of the road, which began on of Armenian forces from the territory of can help Armenia avoid the mistakes of the
December 12 by Azerbaijani activists created Azerbaijan. (Even now, 10,000 Armenia’s past and make the peace of the brave.
To seize this opportunity, the West must a humanitarian disaster, endangering the lives troops remain in Karabakh - a time bomb
acquire a better awareness of the irrefutable of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh. Second, threatening peace and stability).
facts on which the Azerbaijani views are that it is part of a wider effort by Azerbaijan
based. Unfortunately, Armenia, its diaspora to deny the Karabakh Armenians their rights The UN issued those orders in 1993. For
and foreign supporters have recently launched and security. nearly three decades Azerbaijanis waited The views, information, or opinions expressed are solely those
a propaganda campaign designed to obscure patiently for the international community of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Diva
these facts from view. The immediate goal Let’s take these misleading claims in turn, to implement them. Meanwhile, Armenia International/International Diplomat and its contributors.
of the campaign is to bring American and starting with the alleged humanitarian played for time, just as it is doing now: talking

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