We condemn the violation of fundamental human rights of over 120,000 Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) region through the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan government forces.

Since December 12, Azerbaijan government-linked organisations, under the guise of “environmental activists”, have blocked the Lachin Corridor – the only supply route for essential items like food and medical supplies.

On top of that, Azerbaijan has cut off the gas supply to these citizens, in freezing temperatures, representing a clear violation of human rights.

The Lachin Corridor is the only highway linking Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world. Its closure means that the region’s 22,000 children are unable to go to school due to a lack of heating, and citizens cannot get vital medical services with hospitals barely able to function.

Azerbaijan leader Ilham Aliyev proudly admitted to having started the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. And, much like his close friend Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Aliyev denies the Armenian Genocide.

With such leadership next door, Armenians remain in a precarious situation and the lack of condemnation from either the United States or the European Union against this latest aggression leaves them worried about an escalation of violence.

Von der Leyen’s “trustworthy energy suppliers”

It should be reminded that, on July 18, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen labelled Azerbaijan as “trustworthy energy suppliers” after signing an agreement to double gas supplies from Azerbaijan to the EU.

The EU is turning to trustworthy energy suppliers.

Azerbaijan is one of them.

With today’s agreement, we commit to expanding the Southern Gas Corridor, to double gas supplies from Azerbaijan to the EU.

This is good news for our supplies of gas this winter and beyond. pic.twitter.com/j1sVcv10z6

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 18, 2022

The move was supposedly to cut the EU’s reliance on Russian gas, yet the hypocrisy is multi-layered. The switch to Azerbaijan gas was allegedly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, yet the relentless and persistent attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia have not led to a mere condemnation from the EU Commission leader, let alone any sanctions like Moscow has faced.

On top of that, it was announced in November that Azerbaijan would be relying on Russian gas giant Gazprom to meet its hefty demands this winter – meaning that Russian gas will eventually be fuelling Europe, just indirectly and at a higher rate.

This demonstrates that Von der Leyen not only doesn’t care about the ethical side but neither on the practical side. As long as the PR routine tricks Europeans into believing that Russia is being punished, it’s business as usual for the EU oligarchy.

(Photo: NKR InfoCenter)

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