Armenian
National Committee of Canada
Comité
National Arménien du Canada
Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622
E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]
www.anccanada.org
-PRESS RELEASE-
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622
Hon. Tony
Clement Calls for Artsakh Peace in Parliament
Ottawa
— Yesterday, on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the Hon. Tony
Clement of the Conservative Party of Canada, delivered a timely and principled
statement in the House of Commons, calling for peace and security in Artsakh,
while harshly condemning the mass human rights atrocities committed by
Azerbaijan.
“I
travelled to the region this summer with One Free World International and
observed first-hand the conflict there, and the horrific human rights abuses
inflicted upon people who ultimately only wish to live in peace.” said Clement.
In
his statement to the house, Mr. Clement mentioned the consequences of the
indescribable human rights violations that he recently observed, while on a
fact-finding mission to the Republic of Artsakh. Furthermore, he called upon
the government to remain highly vigilant to the alarming situation in the
region and condemn all types of violations in order deter the further
escalation of the conflict.
“The
Artsakh conflict is currently mediated through the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, of which Canada is a full member. I urge the
government to condemn human rights abuses in the region and work to deter
further escalation of the conflict.” concluded Clement.
Earlier
this year, from August 29th to September 1st, Mr.
Clement, joined by fellow parliamentarian colleague, MP Rachael Harder,
travelled to the Republic of Artsakh for an unprecedented fact-finding mission,
led by Rev. Majed El-Shafie of One Free World International. During the
mission, MP Clement and the rest of the delegation carefully observed the human
rights atrocities committed by Azerbaijan during the “Four-Day War” of April
2016 and met with local officials to offer their solidarity and support.
“We
sincerely thank Mr. Clement for his principled stance on this matter and echo
his words in condemning these war crimes and in calling upon the Canadian
government to properly address Azerbaijan’s awful human rights record and
uphold the right to self-determination of the Republic of Artsakh and its
peace-loving people.”, said Shahen Mirakian, President of the ANCC.
After
the collapse of the Soviet Union, the people of Artsakh declared independence
from the Soviet Union and established the current day republic. On December 10,
1991, based on article 70 of the Soviet Constitution, which affirms the right
to self-determination of the peoples of the USSR, Artsakh held an independence
referendum in which 99% voted in favour of independence. In response,
Azerbaijan launched an all-out war against the newly independent republic,
targeting civilians and recruiting mercenaries to join the Azerbaijani army
against Artsakh.
Despite
the 1994 ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan has steadily carried out attacks
against Artsakh. The most recent large-scale ceasefire violation, which
occurred in April 2016, was unprecedented in its scale, duration, and number of
civilian casualties and human rights violations.
“Unless
we distinguish between perpetrators and victims, we create incentives for
further human rights violations by Azerbaijan and reduce the chances of a
peaceful resolution." concluded Mirakian.
(To watch a video of the statement, please click here).
-30-
******
The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian
grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian
community on a broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human
rights throughout Canada and the world.