The Armenian National Committee of New Zealand (ANC-NZ) is disappointed in a statement by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZ MFAT), which expressed "alarm" at "renewed hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh" and highlighted the use of cluster bombs, without calling out the aggressors.
NZ MFAT’s statement, released via Twitter, said: “New Zealand is alarmed at renewed hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. We call for the full protection of civilians, an immediate ceasefire and a return to negotiations. We condemn any use of cluster munitions or other breaches of Intl Humanitarian Law.”
The Armenian-New Zealand community's peak public affairs body said that any statement which does not call out the perpetrators of the attacks that have led to the current humanitarian crisis, that being Azerbaijan backed by Turkey, is disappointing.
"As a peace-loving nation with the utmost regard for the advancement of human rights, New Zealand should not be on the wrong side of history on this issue,” said ANC-NZ Chairwoman Hoory Yeldizian.
"Failing to call out the actual perpetrator of the attack which instigated the ensuing violence emboldens the dictatorship of Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan to continue inciting Armenophobic war crimes against Armenia and Artsakh."
Yeldizian added: "There is clear video evidence and reporting that the only side using cluster munitions and committing war crimes is Azerbaijan, yet the statement only condemns these cases without pinning it on the responsible party, thus encouraging them to continue their criminal actions in breach of international law. Such 'false equivalence', whether wittingly or unwittingly, emboldens the perpetrator and unjustly ignores the victim."
A humanitarian ceasefire was announced to begin 10 October 2020 in order for both sides to retrieve their casualties and captives. The scope of the ceasefire will be discussed at a later date with substantive talks on basic principles of Nagorno-Karabakh settlement initiated. Since the agreement, Azerbaijan has launched heavy attacks on both Artsakh and the internationally recognised borders of Armenia, breaking the terms of the ceasefire.
"We call upon the New Zealand Government to call out the crimes and their perpetrators by name, and this was an attack by Azerbaijan backed by Turkey, who have supported with high-level weaponry and the deployment of Islamist jihadists previously fighting in Syria," Yeldizian said.
