Armen Karo Student Assoctiation

Letter Handed to the Azerbaijani Ambassador Farid Shafiyev in Ottawa

Ambassador Farid Shafiyev 904–275 Slater Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5H9   Ambassador Shafiyev,   We are sending you this open letter in response to the Republic of Azerbaijan’s continued policy of cultural, political and physical hostility against the Armenians of the Caucasus. Armenian-Canadians have gathered at your doorstep today to commemorate the anti-Armenian pogroms of the 1980s and 1990s; to bring attention to the destruction of the Armenian cemetery at Julfa; and to mark the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a state whose existence you refuse to recognise.   From massacre and exile to the constant war-mongering rhetoric of official Baku, Azerbaijan has continually shown the international community that in Azerbaijan, democracy is only a cheap and wavering facade. For decades, the government has been using manipulation, rhetoric and lies to disguise its sinister goal of national homogenisation.   The complete destruction of the medieval Armenian cemetery at Julfa clearly demonstrated Azerbaijan’s disposition to suppression of ethnocultural diversity through violent and destructive campaigns. When it fell under the control of Azerbaijan in the 1920s, this cemetery was home to 6,000 uniquely carved Armenian tombstones. Instead of protecting the sacred site, Azerbaijan demonstrated complete disregard for international law and tenets of its own constitution by proceeding to remove all traces of this historical Armenian settlement. The cemetery – located in a region already depopulated of its Armenian citizens – posed no threat and was of no strategic significance to Azerbaijan. The desecration of the churches, monastic sites and thousands of tombstones there can only be seen as a clear policy of ethnocide on the part of the Azerbaijani government. This sacred ground is now being used as a military training facility.   Earlier, this policy of ethnocide had been realised in more human terms. Today’s protest comes just days before the 23rd anniversary of the deadly pogroms of Sumgait in February 1988. Organised by Azerbaijan’s OMON Special Forces, the events in Sumgait came as a direct response to Karabakh Armenians’ peaceful calls for self-determination. Repeated in other cities over the course of the next four years, these pogroms earned authorities condemnation from the international community.   The violence escalated into an Azerbaijani military invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh in December 1988, sparking a devastating war that claimed 30,000 lives. In the wake of this violence, Nagorno-Karabakh has managed to become a viable and stable republic, and one of the most democratic states in the South Caucasus. Recently, however, the Azerbaijani government has been making threats of a renewed invasion, even as attempts at reaching a peaceful resolution continue. This rhetoric only serves to further destabilise the region.   The Armenian-Canadian community believes that Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence must be universally recognised and that a return to Azerbaijani rule will jeopardise the lives of its citizens. Through our protest and this letter, we condemn Azerbaijan for its continued display of military aggression, religious intolerance and dictatorial rule in the South Caucasus. A nation’s right to dictate its own future is firmly enshrined in international law, and we will continue to guarantee that this right is safeguarded for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.   Armen Karo Student Association Armenian Youth Federation of Canada Armenian National Committee of Canada Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals of Montreal Armenian Student Association at Ryerson University Armenian Student Association of Ottawa Armenian Student Association of the University of Toronto Scarborough Armenian Students’ Association at York University Armenian Students’ Association of McMaster University Armenian Students’ Association of the University of Toronto – St. George Campus Concordia Armenian Students’ Association McGill Armenian Students’ Association Université de Montréal Armenian Students’ Association University of Waterloo Armenian Students Association

» Wednesday, 23 February 2011 07:32