Nagorno Karabakh | Protests continue and prayers begin

The Armenian diaspora from several European countries protests in Brussels, and a national day of prayer for Nagorno-Karabakh is being held in Armenia.

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The Armenian diaspora from several European countries gathered in Brussels to protest against Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a context in which Brussels signed an important gas contract with Baku last January, it is important to “debate the EU’s relationship with Azerbaijan”, declared the president of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet.

A UN mission arrived in the area on Sunday for the first time in three decades, Azerbaijan announced, while the majority of the local Armenian population left the enclave after its takeover by Baku for fear of reprisals.

Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Arayik Harutyunyan on Sunday.

Harutyunyan led the breakaway region between May 2020 and last month, when the separatist government said it would dissolve at the end of the year after three decades of fighting for independence.

Azerbaijani police on Wednesday detained one of Harutyunyan’s former prime ministers, Ruben Vardanyan, as he attempted to cross into Armenia along with tens of thousands of other people who have fled.

On Sunday, Armenia celebrated a national day of prayer for Nagorno-Karabakh with a special religious service. Bells rang in churches across the country, and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, led a service in the country’s main cathedral, Echmiadzin, near the capital, Yerevan.

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