The foreign ministers of the G7 countries, meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday, expressed grave concern of the humanitarian consequences of the displaced Artsakh residents, who were forced to flee their homes after Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh in September.
“We are gravely concerned over the humanitarian consequences of the displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh after the military operation conducted by Azerbaijan,” said a statement issued by the foreign ministers at the end of their summit.
“We urge Azerbaijan to fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law and welcome international efforts to address urgent humanitarian needs for those who have been displaced. We underline our support for advancing a sustainable and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the principles of non-use of force, respect for sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, and territorial integrity,” added the statement, signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the top diplomats from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the High Representative of the European Union.
The statement comes days after Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry demanded the return of what it called eight territories “occupied” by Armenia and a day after President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan made threats against Armenia during a so-called “victory parade” in occupied Stepanakert.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan welcomed the G7 statement that called on Azerbaijan to fully comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.
“Welcoming the G7 statement, we underline that strong international steps and clear public commitments by all involved parties are paramount for normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan in line with the Granada statement, and to address the needs of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia has such a commitment,” Mirzoyan said in a post on X.
The Granada statement, referenced by Mirzoyan, voiced the European leaders’ “unwavering support” for Armenia’s territorial integrity and called for “regional connectivity links based on full respect of countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as on the principles of equality and reciprocity.”
That statement was signed during a meeting in Granada, Spain last month between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the European Council President Charles Michel, President Emmanuel Macron of France, and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. That meeting was supposed to have been another European mediation effort to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A day before the scheduled Granada talks, Aliyev announced that he would not attend the meeting.
