168: a.mwrites:
Former State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh and Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan gave an interview to the leading French magazine Le Figaro, which was published on November 9 (before the start of COP29) in both print and electronic versions.
In the preface, the author reminded that the new climate summit is opening in Baku in mid-November. "Former Minister of State of Nagorno Karabakh Artak Beglaryan, who was forcibly displaced from his homeland along with more than 100,000 of his compatriots, calls for pressure on President Aliyev's regime, which, in his words, committed genocide against Armenians. His face bears traces of suffering, but his voice is decisive," the preface reads.
The author tells that on September 19, Artak Beglaryan, together with his compatriot Gegham Stepanyan, submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Their expectation is that an investigation will be started regarding the crimes committed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. "This is genocide.
Only politicians avoid using this word. I am sure that one day it will be recognized by the international community," said Artak Beglaryan. The journalist emphasized that the time of the interview was not chosen randomly.
"On November 11 (the interview was published on November 9 (ed.)) COP29, the big international climate summit, will open in Baku. And all this is happening while at least 23 Armenian prisoners are still being held by President Aliyev's regime - the newspaper wrote, quoting Artak Beglaryan's words that there are actually many reasons to claim that the number of prisoners is close to 100. "In the case of most of them, we don't even know if they are alive," Beglaryan said.
The author of the interview says that Artak Beglaryan faced many hardships. Born in 1988 in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, he remembers childhood poems, songs and melodies. "He was only four years old when his father was killed at the front by Azerbaijani soldiers.
Two years later, while playing in the yard with friends, a mine explosion blinded him. At the age of 16, his mother died of a heart attack, leaving the boy completely alone. Despite all that, he managed to study in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and then at the prestigious University College London, where he was offered to stay.
"But I returned to my homeland to serve my people. It is the mission of my life that brought me back home," Beglaryan said.
Continuing to tell about Artak Beglaryan, the journalist of Le Figaro explained in detail that he became a human rights defender, then the head of the presidential staff and a state minister. The newspaper emphasizes that in December 2022, with the start of the blockade of Nagorno Karabakh by Azerbaijan, life there gradually became unbearable. Vital goods became scarce: oil, grain, etc.
At the beginning of 2023, the supply of electricity and gas from Armenia was interrupted by Azerbaijan: "For several weeks, my wife and I did not eat bread so that we could give it to our two daughters... In winter, we only had electricity for 12-16 hours a day. People had no heating and schools were temporarily closed.
Even the supply of water became a problem," the interlocutor was quoted as saying. The magazine states that on September 19, 2023, when the Azerbaijani troops finally invaded Nagorno Karabakh, Artak Beglaryan learned that the Azerbaijani soldiers were also looking for him. He decided to run away with his family. "It took about 27 hours to travel about 50 kilometers to the border of Armenia. I didn't even get out of the car. my relatives were afraid that they would arrest or kill me," he said. Today, Artak Beglaryan is a refugee living with relatives in Yerevan.
"I have a part-time job to support my family. The rest of the time, I actively continue to advocate for the protection of the rights of my people." On the eve of COP29, Artak Beglaryan called for the release of all Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijan. "He also wants Emmanuel Macron and the French government to support his appeal to the International Criminal Court. This appeal, presented by two French lawyers, Catalina de la Sota and François Zimmerey, has very little chance of success if it does not receive the support of at least one of the states that have ratified the Rome Statute and recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC.
He also hopes that the international community will impose strict sanctions on the perpetrators of these crimes," the newspaper notes, quoting Artak Beglaryan's remark that when political support is summed up with nice words and compassion, it is not real support.
"Dictators, especially the authors of genocides, ignore statements and words," Beglaryan emphasized.
The publication of Le Figaro concludes with the emphasis that despite the life he has lived, the former state minister continues to have strong hope.
"I have suffered a lot since childhood, but I have always been able to overcome these difficulties. If we combine our efforts, I believe that one day it will be possible to achieve peace and justice, not only for my people, but for all of humanity."
