Armenians in Syria show solidarity with people of Nagorno-Karabakh against Azerbaijani offensive
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press)- On Sunday, the Armenian Civil Council in Hasakah organized a protest to show solidarity with Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) region, which is a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Dozens of Syrian Armenians, as well as officials from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), participated in the protest at Khabur Park, chanting, “We are not advocates of wars and we want peace for all peoples.”
Since late September, Nagorno-Karabakh has witnessed a military escalation between Azerbaijan and the unrecognized forces of the region, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands.
Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, is a mountainous region officially recognized as part of Azerbaijan, though it has a predominately Armenian population and is a de facto independent country which calls itself the Republic of Artsakh. It has been claimed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan since the establishing days of both countries.
Protestors carried many banners in Armenian and English, one of which said, “No genocide, no to violence, yes to peace.”
The participants also demanded an end to the war, carrying Armenian flags and flags bearing the symbol of the Karabakh region.
On Friday, dozens of Armenians in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli took part in a solidarity protest with the Karabakh region and expressed their rejection of the Azerbaijani offensive and Turkish intervention in the conflict.
The Armenian Civil Council condemned Azerbaijani incursions on the territory, Turkish intervention in the conflict, and the Turkish provision of military assistance to Azerbaijan.