When we write the word “war” on a search browser, it immediately suggests the most popular searches of the moment. Do it and see for yourself: unsurprisingly, the vast majority of articles mention the war in Ukraine. Between images, testimonies and reports, all eyes are on the Russian advance and thoughts are turned to Ukraine. Yet 2022 has been deadly, and other conflicts deserve just as much attention from the international community. This is the case of Armenia, a country challenged by its Azerbaijani neighbor.
On the night of September 13, 2022, Azerbaijan bombed half a dozen towns east of Armenia, killing around fifty Armenian soldiers and several hundred more in the following days. It is the region’s deadliest clash since the 2020 44-Day War.
Armenia is a small country landlocked between big powers and historically persecuted by them. With three million inhabitants, Armenia is no match for its two neighbours, Azerbaijan and Turkey, which together have more than 95 million inhabitants. And it was in 2020 that this unequal balance of power made itself felt.
On September 27, 2020, a clash erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh), a mountainous region in Azerbaijan populated by Armenians. After 44 days of combat, more than 6,500 dead. With the help of Russia, a ceasefire was signed on November 9, 2020. This would be broken several times until the massive Azerbaijani attack of September 13, 2022 on Armenian territory.
The speech carried by the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, advocates Armenophobia and supports pan-Turkism, a nationalist ideology aimed at creating a unification of the Turkish peoples. It is publicly and without restraint that he speaks of the Armenians as “dogs that must be driven out of the region”. This speech recalls with horror the Armenian genocide of 1915 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, and still not recognized by Turkey. A risk of crimes against humanity is at Europe’s doorstep, but the international community hides behind the curtain of neutrality.
Newspapers, social networks and magazines are saturated with news from Ukraine. If each conflict must be covered, the density of articles on the subject creates a media screen for the situation in Armenia.
Is sanctioning Russia more politically interesting than exposing Azerbaijan’s war crimes? The visit of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, last July, to Baku, to strengthen agreements on energy seems to indicate yes.
Despite the size of the Armenian diaspora, which amounts to more than seven million people worldwide, the lack of a firm position internationally is felt.
At the dawn of a humanitarian catastrophe, the international community seems paralyzed in its neutrality. The media are simply looking elsewhere.
On Sunday October 2, the two parties met under the aegis of the United States, but failed to find points of agreement. In the meantime, Azerbaijani troops are still present on Armenian territory, and a spark would be enough to reignite the fire.
Russia is busy with the conflict in Ukraine, a major ally of Armenia, which cannot count on them to play the role of mediator. A new actor, the United States, seems to have taken the place of the Russian hegemon on the negotiating table.
France, Armenia’s historical ally, even tried the hierarchical route by seizing the United Nations Security Council for a potential peacekeeping mission, but was caught up in the limits of the UN peace instrument.
While waiting for the fateful blow or hoping for the awakening of the international community, Armenians and their friends can only raise awareness at their level, using their social networks or the forum of their local newspaper. So, by writing this text, I hope to have brought my stone to the building.