We urge and demand from all major actors not to delay and not wait for more larger-scale tragedies, moving to practical and effective steps to stop the further course of this genocide, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan wrote on Facebook.

“In recent days, there has been a significant increase in international attention to the Artsakh problem and pressure on Azerbaijan.

In particular, we welcome the fact that, taking into account the calls of the authorities of Artsakh, Armenia has sent a letter to the head of the UN Security Council requesting an urgent session of the Security Council in connection with the deterioration of the humanitarian situation due to the forced full-fledged blockade of the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is important that the letter also officially emphasizes the goal of preventing genocide.

We also welcome the statement of the UN group of experts, which mentions the urgent need to open the Lachin corridor and ensure the security, dignity and well-being of all individuals.

It is obvious that my recent message to the international community and the report of the first Attorney General of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, received a great response in the international media. As a result, dozens of leading media touched upon the current situation and presented the assessments and appeals of the Artsakh authorities and leading experts regarding the ongoing genocide.

The statement of well-known genocide scholars has also become an important expert opinion and appeal, which emphasizes the need for immediate and decisive action to prevent genocide against the people of Artsakh.

Of course, these days and earlier there have been other statements by representatives of a number of international organizations and states, in which awareness of the urgency of international practical steps is visibly growing. Undoubtedly, time is of the essence for our people, and delay costs lives and suffering.

We call and demand from all major actors not to hesitate or wait for more larger-scale tragedies, but to take practical and effective steps to stop the further course of this genocide,” Arayik Harutyunyan said.