Participants of the action in Yerevan demanded that the UN ensure the return of residents of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Participants of the mourning "March of Memory" held in Yerevan sent a petition to the UN office calling for condemnation of the Azerbaijani authorities' policies and for measures to ensure the safe return of residents who left Nagorno-Karabakh after the hostilities in September 2023.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 11, Karabakh activists stated that the position of the Prime Minister of Armenia, who refused to discuss the right of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh to return, ignores their internationally recognized rights.
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. On September 20, 2023, an agreement was reached to cease hostilities and disarm the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev announced that all objectives of the operation had been achieved. After that, the exodus of residents from Nagorno-Karabakh began. More details about the events of September 19-20, 2023, can be found in the report of the "Caucasian Knot" Karabakh: escalation of the conflict or a new war?.
The "March of Memory" took place in Yerevan today, on the third anniversary of the beginning of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and the subsequent mass exodus of residents from the region to Armenia. Participants marched from Sebastia Street to the military pantheon "Yerablur", where they laid flowers at the graves of the fallen, prayed, and honored their memory with a moment of silence, reported a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".
The action was organized by relatives of those killed and missing during the Karabakh conflict. The organizers also stated their intention to remind about the fate of the missing persons and those they believe are being held in Baku, as well as to honor the memory of the deceased civilians and the victims of the explosion at the fuel depot on September 25, 2023.
After the march and memorial ceremony, the text of the petition was read at "Yerablur" and then sent to the UN office in Yerevan. The authors of the appeal called on the UN to condemn the policies of the Azerbaijani authorities and hold them accountable.
In addition, the participants of the march called for the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) as a result of the exercise of the right to self-determination and for measures to implement the decision of the International Court of Justice of the UN dated November 17, 2023. According to this decision, Azerbaijan must ensure that residents who left Nagorno-Karabakh after September 19, 2023, and wish to return, can do so safely and without hindrance.
The march was a civic initiative of a group of relatives of the deceased, said one of the organizers of the action, activist and educator Anait Akopyan. According to her, the date was chosen in connection with the anniversary of the events of September 2023 and the subsequent mass exodus of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"This was not a political action and not the activity of any organization, but an initiative of a group of citizens united to honor the memory of the deceased and remind about the fate of Artsakh," Akopyan told a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".
Participants of the march also visited the memorial "Bell of Artsakh", laid flowers there, and honored the memory of the deceased, Akopyan reported. The appeal was also sent to the diplomatic missions of the USA, UK, France, China, and Russia, she said.
"The events of September 2023 cannot mean the end of the history of Artsakh; the page of the history of Artsakh is not closed – it remains part of our memory, our identity, and requires preservation," Akopyan stated.
The collective and safe return of residents of Nagorno-Karabakh must occur under reliable international guarantees, stated the acting chairman of the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh Gagik Bagunts. His address, the translation of which was provided by a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", was published today on the assembly's social media page.
Among other demands, Bagunts mentioned the release of the former military-political leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh and other individuals held in Baku, international measures to preserve the Armenian historical and cultural heritage of the region, as well as support for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh living in Armenia.