Nagorno-Karabakh refugees ask Switzerland for help in returning to their homeland
At a protest action held in front of the Swiss Embassy in Yerevan, refugees have expressed their hope that the Switzerland’s mediation can help Nagorno-Karabakh people return to their homeland.
On December 17, 2024, the lower house of the Swiss parliament adopted a resolution calling on the country’s government to organize an international peace conference on Nagorno-Karabakh. The Swiss Foreign Minister rejected the parliament’s proposal. Nagorno-Karabakh activists called on the Swiss government to adopt a resolution on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, as a neutral mediator, to initiate international discussions on the right of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees to return to their homeland.
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan carried out large-scale military operations and took control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, after which a mass exodus of the Armenian population began.
The protest action held on March 13 brought together more than 100 refugees and members of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reported. The Swiss parliament’s resolution states that the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh “dream of returning to their homeland every day, and the resolution adopted by the lower house gave them hope that this is possible.”
The protest action has demonstrated that the people of Artsakh (self-designation of Nagorno-Karabakh, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) do not stop fighting for their rights, emphasizes Ombudsperson of Nagorno-Karabakh Gegam Stepanyan.
Human rights defender Artak Beglaryan, a Nagorno-Karabakh public figure, believes that protest actions and appeals of the Armenian public to countries and international organizations should be continued until the Nagorno-Karabakh issue “is resolved in favour of the indigenous population.”
Switzerland is an objective and neutral party, which makes it favourable for negotiations, notes Arthur Osipyan, the leader of the “My Right” Nagorno-Karabakh movement.
Let us remind you that the former leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have not actually controlled the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh since the autumn of 2023.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 13, 2025 at 09:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: СK correspondent