“It is clear that this is ethnic cleansing,” denounces the ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to France

“It is clear that this is an ethnic cleansing (…) This land, today, is being completely emptied of its Armenian population“, denounced Hasmik Tolmajian, ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in France, this Thursday on franceinfo, while tens of thousands of inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh have fled the region since Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive last week .

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More than 65,000 people have taken refuge in Armenia, according to the latest figures communicated by Yerevan. The diplomat notes the “inability of the international community to prevent this crime“. According to her, only “very strong actions” can do “change the situation” When “we are facing autocrats“.

franceinfo: In your opinion, what is happening at the moment in Nagorno Karabakh has a name: is it ethnic cleansing?

Hasmik Tolmajian: We can use a thousand words to explain the situation. But I think it’s clear to anyone that this is ethnic cleansing. This Armenian land where Armenians have lived continuously for 3,000 years, where they created a civilization, it is the cradle of the Armenian people, is in the process of being completely emptied of its Armenian population. There is not another word that can be used. International genocide specialists have been warning for months, not of a risk of the threat of ethnic cleansing, but of an ongoing genocide, relying on the International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Does this mean that soon there will be no more Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh?

In a few days, there will be no more Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, except perhaps a few hostages, Armenians who will be guarded by the Azeris. Of the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, more than half have already left Nagorno-Karabakh.

What do people who arrive in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh tell you?

There are no international observers, there are no international UN agencies. Azerbaijan has been blocking their entry for months. There are no journalists because Azerbaijan, today, is committing a crime against humanity and does not want there to be witnesses to this tragedy. This agony of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh is also accompanied by silence. On Azeri social networks, we see mass atrocities. We see decapitations, dismemberments. We know very well that the former president of Nagorno-Karabakh was kidnapped. He is today in Baku. His fate is unknown. The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh risk the worst.

What does European impotence inspire you?

There is a helplessness. There is an inability of the international community to prevent this crime. The warning signs, precursors, were there. Today, we note with great regret this helplessness, this incapacity.

These people already suffered a genocide in 1915. A century later, we are still unable to prevent mass atrocities, ethnic cleansing. We can’t not have anger.

Hasmik Tolmajian

at franceinfo

Is it Turkey that is in charge, according to you?

Vincent Duclert, the historian and specialist in genocides, warned a few days ago in an article published in The world. This is a deliberate Turkish-Azerbaijani enterprise for the destruction of Armenian land and the elimination of a people who are survivors of the Armenian genocide. Today, what is happening, if it is not the continuation of the Armenian genocide, it is at least the consequence of the impunity of the crimes of 1915. Azerbaijan has not paid any price since the war of The aggression of 2020 which was still well documented. They had used phosphorus bombs, cluster munitions banned by the international community, which were accompanied by decapitations. Since then, Azerbaijan has paid no price. It is this feeling of impunity that encourages the recurrence of crimes.

Azerbaijan has very useful gas and oil for Europeans. Are you victims of realpolitik?

If I chose this profession as a diplomat, it is because I believe in the capacity of the international community to remain faithful to its values ​​and its principles. If everything can be explained in the name of pragmatism, then what are all these international organizations for? Ukraine, in this case, was attacked by Russia. We can clearly see this international solidarity taking hold. The international community does not hesitate to apply sanctions to put an end to impunity. I don’t want to say that this is a double standard. But everyone knows that Azeri gas is overwhelmingly Russian gas that just passes through the Azerbaijani pipes and arrives here. We are boycotting Russian gas and on the contrary, instead of imposing sanctions, we are giving a price to Azerbaijan by signing and increasing the number of gas contracts.

Is there immense hypocrisy?

I won’t say the opposite.

If there are no sanctions and very strong words, can this war spread?

When faced with autocrats, it is strong actions that can change the situation. You should always listen very carefully to autocrats because they clearly say what they are doing. You should never think that they are saying this for internal use. Ilham Aliyev, for years, has been saying that his strategic objective is to take Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. He said he was going to hunt the Armenians like dogs from Nagorno-Karabakh. On several occasions, he proudly announced that he kept his promise. You have to listen to him when he says that he is going to carve up the territory of Armenia. We must listen to it, we must be vigilant and above all we must take action.