To present to the international community the dire situation created in Artsakh as a result of the illegal Azerbaijani blockade, a popular movement has kicked off in Artsakh, as well as in Armenia. In the Diaspora, however, equivalent measures have not yet been taken.
“Our compatriots in the Diaspora can help in many ways”, the Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh Gurgen Nersisyan said in a conversation with Aravot.am regarding the involvement of the Diaspora in the activities aimed to unblock Nagorno-Karabakh. “It is necessary to appeal to the governments of the host countries, to present the situation in Artsakh and to demand that they, as part of the international community, assume their share of responsibility toward the people of Artsakh, who are on the verge of genocide,” he says.
The Minister of State emphasizes that Diaspora Armenians are not implementing their full potential to aid in overcoming the crisis that the Armenians in Artsakh are currently facing.
“To be honest, I do not know how our compatriots in the Diaspora care about the Armenians of Artsakh. If there were concerns, our brothers and sisters would organize all sorts of daily actions to draw everyone’s attention to this issue, submit demands to the United Nations, and insist on taking measures to ensure the execution of the legally-binding decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. Nevertheless, we have not noticed any steps to this end,” Minister Nersisyan notes, stressing that the involvement of the Diaspora is important because it inspires the people of the besieged Artsakh. “I assure you—your smallest step brings about great hope for our people living in Artsakh. They become even more invigorated and with even greater persistence begin to overcome the problems in which we live, from the newborn to the oldest,” Gurgen Nersisyan explains.
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In response to Aravot.am’s request to send a message to both the Armenian and foreign readers of this article living outside Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the Minister stressed:
“I ask the readers of this article to stand up for Artsakh and the people of Artsakh, to take responsibility. If you give just one hour of your life to this cause, that is already an act of support. Tomorrow, you will regret your inaction, but it will be too late. The people of Artsakh are facing a serious disaster, but as you can see, they are not giving up. Don’t contribute to the suffering of the people of Artsakh, support our people, and you will see how the situation changes in a positive sense. The situation is not hopeless, you just have to take responsibility. If during the 1990’s War our Diaspora Armenians had to support us by going to the battlefield, now there is no need for this. Fight in your countries by organizing peaceful demonstrations and presenting peaceful demands.”
State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan also mentioned that, at this time, Artsakh is suffocating.
Arsen AIVAZIAN
