Pursuant to notice of October 27, 2020, moved:

That the Senate of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to immediately condemn the joint Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, uphold the ban on military exports to Turkey, recognize the Republic of Artsakh’s inalienable right to self-determination and, in light of further escalation and continued targeting of innocent Armenian civilians, recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh.

He said: Honourable senators, I’ve been watching with grave concern the ongoing conflict in the Republic of Artsakh, or as some of you may know it, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

On September 27, Azerbaijan launched yet another offensive on the Republic of Artsakh along the entire line of contact. This large scale war comes two months after Azerbaijan targeted Armenia proper, in July of this year, causing significant casualties, and threatening to bomb Armenia’s nuclear power plant. Since the fighting began, there have been three so-called ceasefires staged by Russia, France and the U.S. — October 10, 18 and 26.

Each time, while Armenia has fully adhered to the ceasefire terms, Azerbaijan violated all three — making it very clear that Azerbaijan is not willing to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict.

Azerbaijan’s targeting of peaceful regions and civilians far away from the line of contact and the shelling of major cities and towns constitute blatant war crimes and are a cause for extreme outrage by all.

According to official reports, both civilian and military casualties are mounting, thanks in part to Canadian drone technology, colleagues. There has been significant destruction of civilian infrastructure, like the main cathedral of Stepanakert, as well as basic humanitarian supplies.

Exacerbating the situation is the involvement of the Republic of Turkey, as they provide military support and foreign jihadist mercenaries to fight alongside the Azerbaijani Army. This is a clear breach of international law, unworthy of a NATO ally and must be condemned, at once, in the strongest possible terms.

Turkey’s actions should come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to President Erdogan, his authoritarian regime and their increased aggression of late, both domestically and throughout the Mediterranean, the Baltic regions and the Middle East.

What alarms me most is that the aggression has been going unchecked by the Western democratic world, including by us right here in Canada, and is serving only to further embolden Erdogan and encourage his pan-Turkism aspirations in Asia Minor.

We saw it when he converted Hagia Sofia into a mosque in direct disrespect and violation of international law. It has been months since he has done so and yet there are no consequences. We see it in Turkey’s refusal to respect the sovereign Mediterranean waters of Greece and Cyprus, where they have continued to neglect and ignore UN declarations for years and, recently, threatening war on their Mediterranean neighbours.

Over the past few weeks, overwhelming evidence has shown Azerbaijan is using the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 attack drones. That’s where we come in, colleagues. Last week we saw footage of an Armenian defence official displaying parts of one of these downed drones. And what’s really troubling for us, and should be, is that these drones are not only equipped with Canadian-manufactured targeting technology made by L3Harris WESCAM, but we now know they are also equipped with the Rotax engine, made by an Austrian subsidiary of Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.

But, colleagues, how is that possible since Canada banned exports of defence technology to Turkey in October of last year, following their invasion in northern Syria, and renewed that ban again in April of this year?

With the engine parts, there’s a bit of a loophole because they’re subject to regulations in Austria, where they are manufactured. But to Bombardier’s credit, they have done the responsible thing and suspended any further delivery of these aircraft engines to countries with unclear usage, amid reports of their likely usage in this Azerbaijani conflict.

What about the targeting technology? While I applaud Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Champagne, for his announcement earlier this month that Canada would suspend export permits to Turkey for targeting technology, why were those export permits granted in the first place? What happened to the original ban, colleagues?

It turns out that there were exemptions granted to the existing ban. I think we as parliamentarians and as Canadians need to know why that exemption was granted and by whom.

The House of Commons was unable to get straight answers from a senior bureaucrat just last week at a House of Commons committee. We do know that Prime Minister Trudeau spoke to President Erdogan about these exports in a telephone call last April and again earlier this month. Did our Prime Minister make a deal with President Erdogan that we don’t know about? If so, will it happen again?

It is absolutely crucial for Canada not to engage in any further sales with the Republic of Turkey and to strictly adhere to its own government’s decision to halt exports, without personal interference from anyone, not even our Prime Minister.

Canadians deserve assurances that no further exemptions will be granted on the side by Mr. Trudeau to President Erdogan. The ban on offensive and aggressive military technology to Turkey, still used today to commit genocide and crimes against humanity must be upheld — full stop, no exemptions, not negotiable.

The other thing we need from our government is to properly address what is happening; to call it out for what it is. Since the initial outset of this conflict in the 1990s, Canada and the international community have refrained from using the proper language to condemn Azerbaijani aggression, emboldening it to push forward with attacks, even during this global pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister Champagne must be unequivocal in condemning these aggressions and denounce the abhorrent crimes and violations of international law committed by Azerbaijan with the help of the might and military support of Turkey.

Canada must do so, not for political reasons, but because it is the right thing to do. What we are seeing right now is similar to the Trudeau government’s response to China’s increased aggression, whether it be in Hong Kong, against the Uighur Muslims, intimidation of Taiwan, military aggression in the South China Sea or the unlawful detainment of our two Michaels.

Prime Minister Trudeau turns a blind eye, putting commercial interests and God knows what else above all else. It only serves to further embolden tyrannical behaviour of the likes of President Xi Jinping and President Erdogan. That’s what we’re seeing here, around the world — tyrants and aggressors who constantly use economic leverage to get away with what should be crimes against humanity.

The Armenian people have suffered far too long under the Turkish-Azerbaijani yoke, and we as leaders of the Western world, and guardians of our shared values of democracy, justice and human rights, cannot sit idly by and allow murderous dictatorships to commit yet another genocide, right before our eyes. It has happened too many times in the past that democracies have stayed silent and parliaments of democracies have turned a blind eye.

For thousands of years, the Republic of Artsakh has been an integral part of historical Armenia and has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s only claim to Artsakh is the fact that Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin stole it from the Armenians and gave it to the Azerbaijanis, just like he did with Nakhchivan, the other landlocked Armenian enclave to the west, as part of the U.S.S.R.’s communist divide-and-conquer strategy.

During the waning days of the Soviet Union, peaceful Armenians in Armenia and Artsakh demanded reunification with Armenia, and later their fundamental right to self-determination and independence. They achieved this through a democratic, legal referendum that was in accordance with international law. As a response, Azeri nationalists carried out gross massacres and pogroms in the Azerbaijani city of Sumqayıt, claiming the lives of innocent Armenian men, women and children. This ethnic cleansing campaign committed by Azeri forces against the Armenians set a haunting precedent for further crimes against humanity, including the Baku pogrom committed in 1990 and the ongoing state-sponsored anti-Armenian ethnic cleansing hate campaign in Azerbaijan.

Make no mistake: If the ongoing war continues and the Turkish-backed Azerbaijani forces and foreign jihadist mercenaries enter the Republic of Artsakh, a second genocide of the Armenian people will take place.

These are facts, not assumptions or speculation. These are alarmed reactions and warnings to the international community. President Erdogan of Turkey and President Aliyev of Azerbaijan have long used such toxic rhetoric, vowing that they are committed to finishing the unfinished genocide perpetrated by their pan-Turkish Ottoman ancestors against the Armenians, Greeks, Pontians and Assyrian peoples. This is not my language; this is language used by today’s ministers of the Erdogan government in Turkey. It’s abhorrent and disgusting in 2020.

Canada’s actions on the global stage must be guided by our strong adherence to our values and principles, not by double standards, political expediency or corporate pressure or profits. We cannot allow the economic interests and influence of foreign powers to dictate how we react to issues of such grave danger.

Canada’s actions and words must be reflective of our long-standing reputation as peacekeepers and peacemakers, and the first step in doing that must be to have the ability to distinguish between the aggressor and the innocent peaceful victims.

Since the internationally brokered ceasefire of 1994, Azerbaijan has continuously violated that regime, raising serious concerns towards its commitment to peace and stability in the region. Furthermore, official Baku has continuously turned down international calls to allow internationally operated monitoring mechanisms to be installed along its line of contact with the Republic of Artsakh.

On the other hand, Armenia and Artsakh have always advocated for the installation of these gunfire locators to increase confidence-building measures to deter further violence.

There is absolutely no doubt as to who is the aggressor in this conflict. As President Macron of France said just a few weeks ago, there are no justifications for Azerbaijan’s actions. Our governments must realize that issuing neutral and manicured statements calling on the sides to refrain from the use of force will only embolden Azerbaijan to continue its barbaric aggression.

Let us be clear and not mince our words, and set the course for decisive action. While our government is taking certain steps to do the right thing, I cannot stress enough the importance for them to stand on the right side of history on this issue and all other issues facing humanity and the rights of nations for self‑determination.

The ban on military exports to Turkey must be upheld at all costs. Canada must do everything in its power to work with international partners and organizations to condemn and contain the aggressors and to bring lasting peace to the region. Otherwise, Turkey and Azerbaijan will most certainly continue their aggression and instigate a regional war that will undoubtedly have dire consequences for the international community.

We must commit to protecting the inalienable rights of peaceful and peace-loving Armenian people in the Republic of Artsakh and protect their right to self-determination, allowing them to chart their own course. Upholding the right to self‑determination and recognizing the Republic of Artsakh as a free, sovereign state are the only viable and long-lasting solutions to this conflict. It is the only way we will be able to deter further violence in the region and prevent other conflicts from happening in other parts of the world.

This is the time for Canada to stand up and act. This is the time for Canadian parliamentarians to pay attention because if we don’t pay attention at the early stages of conflicts, that’s how we get another Kosovo. That’s how we get more ethnic cleansing horror stories written into the history of mankind. It will be because we did not pay attention. Middle powers, like Canada, and superpowers may bury their heads in the sand trying to pursue some commercial deal at the expense of incurring tremendous human atrocities.

Honourable colleagues, Artsakh — or as the Azerbaijanis call it, Nagorno-Karabakh — is a region of 150,000 people. Christian Armenian-speaking people have been living there for centuries. They recently held a legally recognized referendum, as I said earlier on, by which they called overwhelmingly for self‑determination and independence. There’s nothing more important in our existence, in humanity, than democracy, and we have to stand up for it.

In this particular instance, we have a case of David versus Goliath. You have 10 million Azerbaijanis trying to crush 150,000 Armenians with the backing of a superpower in the region, like Turkey, with full military power and full political power. It is nothing more than pushing out the Armenians as the Turks have done now for centuries, just because.

I think this is our opportunity as a chamber to stand upon principle to defend these values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to basically send a message that the Republic of Artsakh — Nagorno-Karabakh — should have the right to self-determination without encroachment from Azerbaijan or Turkey, no encroachment from Russia and no encroachment from anybody because democracy must reign and it must rule.

I think this is important, colleagues. We need to address it over the next few weeks, because if we don’t speak up as certain parliamentarians are doing in France, in the United States and if Canada isn’t part of that debate and if we are not on the right side of history, there will be an ethnic cleansing there that we will be talking about a few years from now with a great deal of shame. Thank you so much, colleagues.

Absolutely.

Senator Housakos, thank you very much for your presentation. I appreciated hearing what you had to say about this issue.

I have two questions for you. First, you spoke about civilian casualties. You know this issue so well. Can you give us a better idea of what kind of casualties? I’m not trying to make light of it, but what kind of casualties were you talking about?

I would request from the chamber five additional minutes.

Senator Jaffer, in a conflict of this nature, the media tends to focus on civilian casualties over militarily engaged casualties. To me, all casualties of war are a sad thing — men, women, children, all types.

Obviously both sides are making claims that are very difficult for us to substantiate from a distance, but we know one thing. The Azerbaijani side has taken grave steps to make sure that the media does not have open access to the conflict region. The Armenian side has done everything they can to protect the media, to have access to these conflict zones and to basically try as much as possible to open up to the world the various attacks that are coming from the Azerbaijani side, in terms of technology, location and the number of casualties.

It is hard, as I said, to substantiate the exact amount and how many are civilians versus combatants. But the area of conflict we’re talking about is an area with a population of 150,000, and 97% or 98% are ethnic Armenians. It’s absurd for Azerbaijan, an independent country of 10 million people, to be making a claim on a territory where the vast majority of people have made it clear they want independence. They don’t want to be part of Azerbaijan. They don’t want to be part of Armenia. They want their independence. I find this a very simple thing for democratic parliamentarians to understand. This is not a conflict between a multitude of ethnic communities living in a region together and having difficulty getting along. This is a question of a foreign power who, with the support of a couple of other foreign powers, is encroaching on that entity’s desire for self-determination.

May I ask you another question?

Sure.

Senator, one of the things that Canada is well-known for is peaceful resolution. I was myself a peace envoy for Canada. In all your discussions, do you not think that one of the things we could suggest in such a dispute is for Canada to intervene and bring people to a peace table?

There is no doubt. But in order to have peace, you need two entities who are willing to have peace. We’ve had three opportunities, just over the last few weeks, in negotiated ceasefire agreements that were led by the United States, Russia and other international leaders. It has been Azerbaijan that does not want to respect that particular call for peace and ceasefire.

Furthermore, if you look at the overwhelming capacity that Azerbaijan has in this particular conflict, in terms of military capability and drone capability, these are things that Armenia doesn’t have. They can’t defend themselves. These 150,000 individuals who are there calling for independence cannot defend themselves. They don’t have the capacity to do so.

Are we going to take a stand? Russia, for example, and Turkey are involved for geopolitical reasons, engaging on one side and arming and supporting them. Meanwhile, we are on the other side in an appeasement mode trying to say that we have to find a peaceful agreement. There were a lot of people who thought they could appease Hitler during World War II, but you can only achieve peace through negotiations and dialogue with people who are not tyrants and who are reasonable. In this particular instance, everything we have seen from the Azerbaijani-Turkish side has not been reasonable. If anything, it has been very aggressive. Their military ramp-up continues. Now we have evidence from the media and from our allies that Turkey has sent jihadist mercenaries to that conflict zone from Syria and Libya. That is abhorrent and unacceptable, and we need to call it out.