Armenia's National Academy of Sciences

Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences called for uniting the entire potential of the Armenian nation to confront challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh. Specifically, however, the influential academic group rejected any outcome where Artsakh will be part of Azerbaijan.

Despite its apolitical mandate, the Academy said it could not stay indifferent to the existential political challenges facing the nation warning that ‘the danger of possible being deprived of a homeland and a genocide of Artsakh-Armenians is such a challenge today, which is a red line for the human race.”

“Artsakh, which has been part of the Armenian civilization for millennia, is an inseparable part of our homeland—the Artsakh-Armenians have preserved the longest statehood of our nation, our eastern stronghold. However, since at least the early 20th century, the Caucasus Tatars, with the support of Turkish circles, later their Azerbaijani descendants, were making every effort to eliminate any Armenian trace in Artsakh. All these was accompanied by crimes against humanity,” said a statement issued by the Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences on Monday.

“This policy also continued following the collapse of the Soviet Union and gained special momentum in the new conditions formed as a result of the 2020 44-Day War, in fact turning into an inseparable component of the official ideology of Azerbaijan. Today we are witnessing such open manifestations of this vicious policy as plans to totally eliminate the Armenian historical-cultural identity in the territories now under its control, spread Armenophobia in all possible international platforms, distort history, ignore the international law, particularly, violate the Geneva Convention on treatment with prisoners of war,” added the statement.

The group also warned of the danger to the Armenians living Artsakh, which it said will face immediate eviction if Artsakh is to be government under Azerbaijani control, thus depriving them of their homeland and living under the threat of another genocide.

“The Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of the security of the people of Artsakh and the exercise of their right to self-determination. We cannot back down from this fundamental principle,” said the Academy. Today the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh are facing serious challenges. It is necessary to bring together its entire potential to resist those challenges and find solutions to existing problems.”

“The National Academy of Sciences of Armenia is ready to provide professional consulting to Armenia’s authorities, could become one of the platforms where issues of pan-Armenian significance are discussed, solutions and alternative options could be proposed for forming a pan-Armenian agenda,” added the statement.