12:22,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan wants to depopulate Nagorno Karabakh, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan warned in an interview with the Italian la Repubblica newspaper. 

“Just like thirty years ago, the survival of the Armenians is again threatened today,” the Armenian President said. “The war wouldn't have taken place had the 1988 Sumgait and 1990 Baku pogroms not happened, which were organized by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities. As a result, not a single Armenian is left today in Sumgait or Baku.  And today Azerbaijan pursues the same policy. Azerbaijan wants to depopulate Nagorno Karabakh of Armenians. Their government is announcing that for them, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict no longer exists because it’s been resolved in the 44-Day War of 2020, despite the fact that 120,000 of our compatriots are living in that region today. Baku claims that they must live under Azerbaijani legislation, or else leave. They know very well that no Armenian will ever want to live in the kind of Azerbaijan where human rights are violated, there are no democratic values, and in addition, as Armenians they would be under constant threat. Despite our readiness to sign a peace treaty and mutually recognize territorial integrity, Azerbaijan continues its aggressive stance.”

Khachaturyan mentioned the ongoing Azeri blockade of Lachin Corridor under fake environmental pretexts, which has led to a humanitarian crisis.

The President said that Armenia is fully committed to achieving sustainable and lasting peace in the region and establishing balanced and good-neighborly relations with its neighbors.

“We want to have good-neighborly relations with our neighbors, that’s why our government has embarked on the path of normalizing relations with Turkey. I am glad that after so many years we’ve resumed dialogue with Ankara. We must look to the future and understand what kind of a region we want to leave for our children. We must seek regional balance and peace, not war,” he added.