Artsakh Armenians Protest Denial of Exhibition Space at UN Summit, Ask Why Indigenous Rights Talks Have No Room for Them

Photo Credit: Oldhike

Armenians displaced from Artsakh protested outside a United Nations biodiversity summit in Yerevan on Wednesday, accusing organizers of overlooking their community while hosting international discussions on Indigenous peoples' rights and the protection of ancestral lands.

The demonstrators gathered near the Green Zone entrance of the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex, calling attention to the more than 120,000 ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, known to Armenians as Artsakh, after Azerbaijan's military offensive in September 2023.

Three years later, most remain in Armenia, the same country hosting COP17. Protesters questioned why their community had no dedicated exhibition space at a conference where the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities are among the issues being discussed.

The dispute began before Wednesday's demonstration. Former Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan said two organizations representing displaced Armenians had applied for exhibition space but were turned down. Armenia's Ministry of Environment said their proposed activities did not fit the conference's environmental agenda.

Photo Credit: Oldhike

Artsakh representatives disputed that reasoning, arguing that their forced displacement has also threatened their connection to the region's land, wildlife, traditional farming practices and cultural heritage.

Wednesday's protest brought elements of that heritage to the conference entrance. Participants performed traditional Artsakh songs and dances, prepared jingalov hats, a regional flatbread filled with herbs, and displayed photographs of Nagorno-Karabakh's landscapes and historic sites.

Singer Madlen Asryan, known as "Artsakh's Aya," joined the demonstration and criticized the lack of attention to displaced Armenians.

Protesters also called for the release of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan, protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and international guarantees for the safe return of displaced residents.

Photo Credit: Oldhike

Nagorno-Karabakh was home to an ethnic Armenian population for generations before Azerbaijan regained full control of the territory in September 2023. The offensive followed months of restrictions on the Lachin Corridor, the region's only road connection to Armenia, which caused severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies.

Azerbaijan says ethnic Armenians are free to return under its sovereignty and laws. Displaced residents have repeatedly raised concerns about their safety and the absence of international guarantees.

The controversy has also drawn attention to how COP17 addresses communities uprooted from their ancestral territories. The summit's biodiversity agenda recognizes the importance of traditional knowledge and the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation.

For the displaced Armenians gathered outside the venue, the concern is immediate: Their ancestral homes, historic monuments and natural landscapes remain beyond their reach, while decisions about the protection of such places are being discussed at an international conference taking place in the country where they now live.

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