Solidarity Rally with the People of Artsakh
(The ADL’s address was delivered by Krikor Manukyan)
Greetings, dear Armenian compatriots,
Once again, the enemy has surrounded our sisters and brothers in Artsakh. The enemy could not defeat the people of Artsakh through physical warfare; it is now attempting the form of psychological pressure. Taking advantage of the war in Ukraine and the unstable international political situation, it is trying to advance its policy of emptying Artsakh. The goal is depopulation: to empty the land of its native, true owners. We shall summarize our demands in a few points.
The inviolability of the homeland’s borders is non-negotiable; we have no land left to lose. The Armenian people, with all its state and human potential, will stand up to this new challenge. There is no room left for concession on this matter.
Artsakh stands before a humanitarian catastrophe. Azerbaijan is violating the right of the people of Artsakh to live freely on their land; it wants to repeat what happened in Nakhichevan, emptying the land of its native people. The crisis in Artsakh is gradually turning into a deadly crisis. The people of Artsakh have given their heroic decision: to hold firmly to their statehood and live in dignified peace. Artsakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan, because the foundation of that country is fascism and Armenophobia. The Artsakh issue has one solution, which must take place on the basis of the international principle of the right of peoples to self-determination. States that pursue a policy of double standards, just as they established the states of Kosovo, South Sudan and East Timor, can easily accept Artsakh’s right to independent existence. We must launch a serious diplomatic campaign in this direction. The time has come to move away from slogans and act on the ground. Tomorrow will be too late. Russia, as a great friend of the people of Artsakh, has an important role to play in this direction.
The Armenians of Artsakh are today again living through a sad, uncertain and dangerous new phase of life. Today they are living this phase also on our behalf, because Artsakh, as a homeland, belongs not only to the Armenians of Artsakh, but also to the entire Armenian nation, and the entire Armenian nation has there not only the rights and benefits of an owner, but equally many duties and obligations. Today, too, the Armenians of Lebanon, as in the past, are again ready to continue their struggle in the name of the just struggle of Artsakh and the Armenians of Artsakh.
Today Artsakh is our Sardarapat. The Berdzor (Lachin) corridor, which is Artsakh’s only lifeline, has been closed by Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijanis are holding 120,000 people hostage under their control, who are deprived of electricity, gas, gasoline, medicine, food and other vital necessities. They are living through a complex moral and psychological crisis. And we, as Armenians of Lebanon, and everywhere wherever there is an Armenian, each one of us must remain ready and committed to bringing our contribution to the life of Artsakh and the Armenians of Artsakh, for the salvation and well-being of that noble people. It is with this awareness that we have gathered here today to express our unconditional solidarity with our fearless sisters and brothers of Artsakh.
The time has come for the Armenian people to unite in supporting the Armenians of Artsakh, considered one of the three main parts of the Armenian people, and to make their just voice heard throughout the world. We shall not accept that the enemy silently and quietly continues its inhuman, monstrous plan. We shall cry out our just cause under the ears of a world that pretends to be deaf, until a crack appears in that wall of silence and justice prevails.
Long live Lebanon,
Long live Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh,
Long live our fearless sisters and brothers of Artsakh
