Armenians living in Poland called on Poland and Russia to take action over the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, at a protest in Warsaw on Monday. Protesters appealed to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda “not to let another genocide happen”, referring to mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, and urged Russia as well to support Armenia.
Prospects for a ceasefire appeared slim after fighting intensified during the weekend in the mountainous area, which belongs to Azerbaijan under international law, but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.
“Armenia has lived through the 1915 genocide which Poland has recognised. Today we ask you, Mr President, we call on you, not to let another genocide happen today, just like President Kaczyński in 2005, when he recognised the Armenian genocide. Let’s not be naive – the goal of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey is not only the land of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is to annihilate the Armenian people, that’s what they have been doing for the past thousand years.” said one of the Armenian protesters in the capital of Poland.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have often accused each other of attacking civilian areas, and hundreds have been killed in clashes involving artillery, tanks and fighter planes since Sept. 27. The fighting has increased international concern that other regional powers could be dragged into the conflict. Turkey has expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan, while Armenia has a defence pact with Russia.
“You, Russia, stand and watch how peaceful people in Karabakh are being annihilated just like you did in Warsaw, during the Warsaw Uprising. Turks shot down your plane and you supply them with an anti-aircraft missile system. They killed your ambassador in Turkey and you build plants for them and develop their nuclear energy.” stated another member of the Armenian diaspora in Warsaw.
The clashes are the worst since the 1990s, when some 30,000 people were killed, and are spreading beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave itself.