Pashinyan: Over Half a Million Armenians Have Been Displaced in Azerbaijan's Ethnic Cleansing

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia delivered a stark message at the Paris Peace Forum, revealing that over 500,000 Armenians have been forcibly displaced and turned into refugees as a consequence of ethnic cleansing, orchestrated by Azerbaijan.

During his address, Prime Minister Pashinyan disclosed that the staggering figure of 500,000 encompasses Armenians who were forcefully uprooted from Azerbaijan, deprived of the opportunity to continue living in their homeland. Of this total, around 360,000 individuals experienced displacement since the early 1990s due to the Sumgait and Baku pogroms, driven by ethnic hatred against Armenians.

Pashinyan emphasized that the policies of animosity towards Armenians have evolved into a state agenda in Azerbaijan, citing the continuous history of forced migration. He highlighted the displacement of Armenians from Nakhijevan and various territories of Azerbaijan over the years.

The Armenian Prime Minister drew attention to the events of the 44-day war in 2020, revealing that approximately 26,000 Armenians were compelled to leave Nagorno Karabakh during that period. Moreover, he described the large-scale attack and ethnic cleansing initiated by Azerbaijan on September 19, which forced around 105,000 Armenians to evacuate Nagorno-Karabakh within a week.

Expressing frustration at the lack of international intervention, Pashinyan pointed out that warnings from Yerevan, especially concerning the blockade of the corridor, went unheeded. He lamented that the international community failed to take adequate measures, leading to accusations that some international players may have tacitly or behind-the-scenes agreed to the forced displacement of Armenians.

The Prime Minister also shed light on the troubling "Western Azerbaijan" concept, a narrative propagated in Azerbaijani schools, universities, and mass media. Pashinyan described this concept as a preparation for a new war against the Republic of Armenia, highlighting the urgency for the international community to address the alarming developments in the region.