Since September 27, Azerbaijan has been mounting a heavy-handed military offensive against the republics of Artsakh and Armenia. This aggression is in direct violation of the 1994 ceasefire agreements and constitutes a serious violation of human rights.

In 1921, while Stalin was establishing the internal boundaries of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh in Armenian, was annexed to the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, even though about 95% of residents were Indigenous Christian Armenians. When the U.S.S.R. was dissolved, the Artsakh people held a referendum on their independence. Voter turnout was over 80%, and 99% voted in favour of independence. Having exercised their right to self-determination, the Artsakh people proclaimed the creation of their republic, as did many other republics in the wake of the fall of the Soviet iron curtain. However, this movement was violently repressed, which led to a three-year war in which 30,000 people were killed. An international ceasefire was declared in 1994. Since then, Nagorno-Karabakh has been an autonomous region whose population is almost entirely Armenian, led by an independent government that maintains close ties to Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh territory has always been largely inhabited by Armenians and it has never been part of a free and independent Azerbaijan. In invoking the principle of territorial integrity for its own geopolitical interests, Azerbaijan has no defence beyond a Soviet dictator’s decision to divide and conquer.

It should also be pointed out that the Nagorno-Karabakh referendum was held in accordance with international law and existing domestic laws — in short, on the same legal basis that made it possible for Azerbaijan to declare its independence in 1991.

Since the 1994 ceasefire, the international community has witnessed sporadic violence on the border between the two countries, which has led many journalists and government leaders to put the current conflict in this context and call it a territorial dispute. However, the current situation in the Caucasus is extremely serious and should instead be considered a human rights crisis. Azerbaijan, unequivocally supported by Turkey, both militarily and diplomatically, has been accused of illegal practices such as the hiring of mercenaries and the use of cluster bombs and phosophorus ammunition. It has bombed cities and villages. Schools, churches and hospitals have been deliberately targeted and destroyed, along with such infrastructure as power lines.

Today, Genocide Watch, an international genocide prevention NGO, has declared a genocide emergency for the people of Artsakh. We should point out that Turkey and Azerbaijan are the only two countries in the world to actively deny the Armenian genocide of 1915, which was carried out by the Ottoman Empire under the cover of World War I. Therefore, we must state today that the current aggression against the Armenian people being conducted during a global pandemic is an act of genocide.

Since the start of this war, international mediation has intensified. No less than three international humanitarian ceasefires have been negotiated, but all were violated within minutes of being declared. However, France is the only country to date to have named the warring countries and condemned the Turkish and Azeri aggression against Armenia’s civilian population.

We find Canada’s neutrality particularly alarming given the irrefutable evidence that our Canadian military technology is currently contributing to the deaths of innocent civilians and the destruction of the cultural, religious and social heritage of one of the world’s most ancient civilizations. Let us recall that Armenia was the first nation to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in the year 301 A.D. The evidence shows and the whole world knows that Canada sold arms to Turkey even though arms exports to Turkey were banned.

It is our duty to take a stand on the situation and demonstrate integrity by accepting responsibility for our actions as a global power that has always acted peacefully and has promoted and kept peace around the world.

The people of Artsakh declared the creation of their republic in a democratic process three decades ago, but no United Nations member state has yet recognized their independence.

The international community has never sanctioned Turkey for the genocide it perpetrated against Armenians, the same genocide that President Erdogan continues to deny to this day. We are of the opinion that the international community is in part responsible for creating the vulnerable situation in which the people of Artsakh find themselves today. We also believe that going back to the Soviet era is not an option, and that only recognition of the Republic of Artsakh can help stop the massacre of innocent Armenians — 7,000 so far — and end the current atrocities against this peaceful people, finally establishing lasting peace not only in Artsakh, but also in the entire Caucasus region.

Canada is an exemplary leader on the international stage. Its society is founded on admirable values: justice, democracy, protection of human rights and peace. Today, it is our duty in this upper chamber to act in accordance with these principles and do everything in our power to stand on the side of peace and democracy to prevent the extermination of a people, as has happened with the Jewish, Rwandan, Greek and Armenian peoples over the past 100 years.

I therefore ask you, honourable senators, to support the motion of Senator Housakos.