On February 1, the women of Artsakh, Armenian mothers with “Mothers for their children’s rights” placards and appeals addressed the Head of Delegation of the European Union in Yerevan, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, asking to deliver their letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, a mother of seven children. In the letter, Artsakh mothers reminded that Artsakh has been under siege since December 12, 2022, and the fundamental rights to life, health, and education of 120,000 residents of Artsakh, including 30,000 children, are being violated in the cold winter.
On February 6, Aravot.am made a written request for information to the Head of the EU delegation, Mrs. Victorini. “The mothers of Artsakh asked you and Ms. Ursula von der Leyen to stop this terror, to prevent Azerbaijan from holding 30,000 Armenian children captive, and not to become Azerbaijan’s accomplice. Mothers believed you would put high humanistic values above the political interests of the moment and use your influence to eliminate the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh. Please let us know if you have read the contents of that letter, has it been forwarded to Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, and what is your opinion about that letter request?”
In response to our request for information, the EU delegation forwarded to Aravot.am the response of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in which she thanked the women of Nagorno-Karabakh for the letter and conveyed the following message: “Thank you for your open letter, which I have received via the Delegation of the European Union in Armenia. The European Union has been following with serious concern the various developments around the Lachin Corridor since the beginning of December last year. We understand that restrictions of movement along the Lachin Corridor cause significant distress to the local population and create humanitarian concerns. Let me assure you that the EU continues to mobilize diplomatic efforts to solve the situation, and has repeatedly called on Azerbaijan and all others involved to take the measures that are within their jurisdiction to ensure freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with the obligations deriving from the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020. To this end, the EU has been involved in regular contacts at multiple levels with the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The EU also stepped up its engagement in Armenia through the recently launched full-fledged civilian CSDP mission (EU Mission in Armenia), which represents clear proof of our continued support to de-escalation efforts and commitment to work closely with both sides towards the ultimate goal of sustainable peace in the region”.
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