A conference titled “COP29 in Baku: Greenwashing an Ethnic Cleansing?” took place in the European Parliament

On 6 November 2024 a conference titled “COP29 in Baku: Greenwashing an Ethnic Cleansing?” was held at the European Parlement. The conference focused on various aspects of holding this global UN conference in Azerbaijan, notably in the context of the developments in the region, such as the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh/ Artsakh by Azerbaijan. It shed light on the ongoing campaign of the Azerbaijan government to whitewash the forcible displacement of the native Armenian population as well as the country’s egregious human rights record, and its environmental negligence, inter alia by hosting the COP29 summit in Baku.

Hosted by Member of the European Parliament – MEP Loucas Fourlas (EPP, Cyprus) and facilitated by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), the event was attended by MEPs from different political groups, their advisers, Belgian politicians, diplomates, civil society representatives, journalists and representatives of the Armenian community in Belgium. The opening remarks were delivered by MEP Fourlas,  H.E. Tigran Balayan – Ambassador of Armenia to Belgium and Head of Mission of Armenia to the European Union, and the President of EAFJD Kaspar Karampetian.

The conference featured four key-note speakers:  Simon Papuashvili – the programme director of Eastern Europe and South Caucasus at IPHR, Catalina De La Sota – international lawyer and member of the Paris Bar, Siranush Sargsyan – internationally published journalist from Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh, David Vardanyan – the son of the well-known philanthropist, former State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh, Ruben Vardanyan who is currently held hostage in Baku.

The host of the conference – MEP Fourlas emphasized, “As we gather here today, we are reminded of the core values of the European Union, – justice, human rights, and solidarity. It is in this spirit that we stand with the Armenian people”.

In his speech, Ambassador Balayan highlighted the necessity of the release of the Armenian hostages, who are currently being held in Azerbaijan in violation of the international legal norms and binding rulings of the International Court of Justice. He called for an immediate release of all the hostages and stressed that the Government of Armenia made every effort to this end.

The EAFJD President Karampetian stressed that the decision to hold COP29 in Azerbaijan, a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world which had recently committed an ethnic cleansing of an indigenous population, was a mistake. He further specified that this not only undermined the goals of the climate conference but also sent the wrong message about commitment to justice and respect for human life, and dignity in general.

Two of the keynote speakers, Simon Papuashvili and Cataline De La Sota elaborated on the legal aspects of the matter.

Papuashvili invoked the EU’s responsibility in enforcing international law and holding the Aliyev regime accountable.

“Persistent lack of accountability for atrocities committed by Azerbaijan against ethnic Armenians leaves the room wide open for further state sponsored violence. European nations must take concrete measures to increase the cost for the Aliyev regime for perpetrating such atrocities. This can be done in a number of ways, including (a) sanctioning the perpetrators through the existing EU sanctions framework, (b) initiating a state party referral to the International Criminal Court, and (c) by using domestic justice mechanisms to prosecute the crimes in question”, he explained.

Catalina De La Sota stressed, “Nothing justifies the forcible uprooting of men, women, and children from their home and land. The deportation of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh bears all the hallmarks of a crime against humanity and the legal conditions are met to ensure that those responsible are held accountable before the International Criminal Court.”

She also gave an in-depth legal perspective on the international prosecution of such crimes and positively welcomed the work of many different actors such as the EAFJD to raise awareness and urge the EP into action. De Sota claimed, “All work [towards the common goal] is complimentary”.

Siranush Sargsyan – a witness of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan and of the ethnic cleansing, shared her testimony of life in Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh under the Azerbaijani blockade. She mentioned that along with starvation and physical blockade, Azerbaijan had also imposed an information blockade which had made the access of foreign journalists to Artsakh impossible. Sargsyan said that it was this situation of despair and the acute necessity to shed light on the reality in Artsakh that had turned her into a journalist. She further claimed, “It is unacceptable that the UN climate conference COP29 is held in a country that still illegally holds Armenian hostages. One must not legitimize Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and allow it to be greenwashed, while families of the missing people and hostages continue to live in a continuous war, enduring constant suffering and uncertainty”.

In his speech David Vardanyan spoke about the plight of the Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, illegally held in Azerbaijan. He specified, “As COP29 is set to open in a few days in Baku, Azerbaijan, my father, Ruben Vardanyan, and 22 other Armenians remain unjustly imprisoned – their only ‘crime’ being their Armenian identity. While the world leaders gather to discuss our planet’s future, we cannot ignore this pressing human rights crisis at the very doorstep of the conference.” Vardanyan further elaborated, “To attend COP29 without addressing the urgent matter of Armenian prisoners would be to tacitly endorse Azerbaijan’s attempt to use this global climate summit as a smokescreen for ongoing human rights violations.”

He also pointed out the need to continue raising awareness of the situation, the Armenian prisoners of war and hostages are facing in Azerbaijan. 

Several MEPs present expressed their commitment to using the instruments at their disposal to pursue the fundamental rights of the native Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh and to hold Azerbaijan accountable. The conference was concluded with a comprehensive and lively Q&A session between the audience, the MEPs, and the panelists.