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Writer and human rights defender Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte published an article on the website of the American political newspaper The Hill criticizing the recent material of the Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, Nasimi Aghayev, about the Karabakh conflict.  

According to Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Aghayev attempts to mislead the readers, as he did not mention Azerbaijan’s large-scale offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh in April, 2016 — a calculated act of aggression accompanied by gross violations of international law.

“The images of murdered Armenian civilians, beheaded and mutilated, were circulated in the Azerbaijani media with pride. The perpetrators were heroes in Azerbaijan, while the international community turned a blind eye,” the article reads.

According to the author, Aghayev refers to the norms of international law and selectively points out the principle of territorial integrity as the sole principle upon which the resolution of the conflict should be based. He fails to mention that the OSCE Minsk Group, internationally mandated to lead the peace process, declared non-use of force, right to self-determination and territorial integrity as the basic principles of the settlement.

“There is no hierarchy among the principles of international law and it's disingenuous for Mr. Aghayev to claim otherwise. Moreover, Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan. Once handed over to Azerbaijan by Joseph Stalin, it remained autonomous until the dissolution of the Soviet Union and became independent in the exact same way as Azerbaijan when it seceded from the USSR,” the author emphasizes.

The people of Artsakh democratically exercised their fundamental rights against the communist regime and the tyranny of Aliyev dynasty. Twenty-five years later Azerbaijan remains a country allergic to any manifestation of pluralism and civil rights.

“The U.S. State Department warns Armenian-Americans against visiting Azerbaijan. How can Armenians of Karabakh expect safety under Azerbaijani governance?  How dare Mr. Aghayev inflict his authoritarian government onto others when it burns the books of the renowned Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli on the streets of Baku promising a reward to anyone who cut off his ear?” the author notes.

According to Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Anti-Armenianism, warmongering and continuous military provocations is their endgame. Azerbaijan mistakenly believes that the country's oil revenues guarantee its superiority through military solution.

Summing up, the author writes that The United States and international community should adopt a resolute position with a clear message to prevent the renewal of hostilities: use of force will not be tolerated and violations of international obligations will result in real economic and political consequences.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte was born in Baku in 1978 and had to move to the US with her family as a refugee saving from the wave of aggression in Azerbaijan towards the Armenians in 1990. She is the author of the book titled “Nowhere, a Story of Exile,” which tells the story of refugees from Azerbaijan during the Karabakh conflict. The author’s memories from her diary, in which facts of murder and persecution of the Armenians in 1988-1992 are described, are included in the book. Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is also a volunteer in various organizations and has actively advocated for the increase of support to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by the US. In November 2015, she was elected a member in Westbrook City Council with 64% votes.