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Assyrian world community is concerned about the violation of the truce as a result of the recommencement of military offensive action by the Azerbaijani side in the territory of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR). This happens in the 100th anniversary since the massacres of the Armenians, the Assyrians, and Pontic Greeks in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey), the Assyrian community said in a statement published on Stop Xenophobia website. 

“Today, the Republic of Turkey continues its aggressive policy and is directly involved inthe unleashing of the civil war both in the neighboring Syria, which was directly reflected on the fates of tens of thousands of Assyrians, and in the commencement of the military action in the NKR. It also skillfully manipulates the European Union amid the artificially created refugee crisis thereby supporting the extremists and terrorists in Iraq and Syria. We condemn the treacherous violation of the truce in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, which brought about many victims, including civilian,” the statement reads.

It is emphasized that Artsakh – the NagornoKarabakh Republic – with its capital Stepanakert is a historically Armenian territory proved bymore than 500 Armenian temples, churches, and other historical monuments, which are the evidence of the more than 4000-year history of the Armenian presence on this land.

It is reminded that according to the referendum of December 10, 1991, the absolute majority of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast residents voted for independence, which is not surprising, as the vast majority of the residents of the autonomous region were ethnic Armenians, and their land had been illegally included in Azerbaijan in the years of the establishment of the Soviet rule.

The ceasefire truce was signed after the victory of the Armenian side on May 1994. However, after 20 years, the truce has not led to the peaceful resolution of the conflict. As the statement holds, despite the negotiations which have been carried out under the supervision of the OSCE Minsk Group, it was impossible to come to an agreement on a large-scale regulation of the situation around the NKR. After the ceasefire truce was signed, a series of agreements have been signedunder the auspices of the Minsk Group, including the Maindorf declaration of November 2008, according to which, the sides took the responsibility of resolving the conflict only “in a peaceful way.”

“However, the military rhetoric and militaryoperations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces permanently resumed, which pulled the peaceful regulation processaside. The hope of a peaceful life and the end of the peace process was violated overnight on April 2, 2016 by the Azerbaijani side with the support of the ‘new Ottoman Turkey,’ which does not conceal its political ambitions and successfully uses the Azerbaijani factor in supercharging the general atmosphere in the region. It is especially significant taking into account the cultural and language proximity of the Turks and Azerbaijanis under the umbrella of HeydarAliyev’s thesis of ‘One nation-two states’,” highlights the Assyrian community’s statement.

The authors call on the sides and the international community to stop the military action, to put an end to Turkey’s rough intervention and provocation in the inner affairs of other countries in order to resolve the conflict in a diplomatic way respecting the NKR residents’ will of self-determination.