Armenian Diplomat: Azerbaijan Commits ISIS-Style Violence in Artsakh

Armenian Ambassador to Italy, Sargis Ghazaryan

ITALY (Tert.am)—Armenia’s ambassador to Italy, Sargis Ghazaryan, compared Azerbaijani aggression against civilians and military objectives in Nagorno-Karabakh with violence typical to the Islamic State.

Ghazaryan talked of the recent four-day war and their devastating aftermaths in an interview with the Milan-based newspaper Libero.

“As early as just a few days ago, the military chaplains in Nagorno-Karabakh put on armored coats to stand by the soldier defending the elderly and kids [the Christians]. They were on the frontline to hit back the Azerbaijani army’s attacks threatening villages. There are well-grounded facts [proving] that Azerbaijan’s military received arms supplies from dozens of mercenaries. Some sources report about ISIS terrorists who had moved from Racca. Those aren’t yet well-grounded facts, but the violence committed is typical to the ISIS’s action. Civilians were killed in the village Talish; just have a look at those photos …” the diplomat said.

Ghazaryan called the Italian journalist’s attention to the fact that the conflict has no religious motives despite the Azerbaijani authorities’ continuing attempts to use religion as a pretext to express solidarity to the Islamic world.  “These actions are a result of the tyrannical regime which, despite the costly campaigns to reinstate its reputation, is accused of repeated violations of human rights by more respectable international organizations. The latest [efforts] is the European Parliament’s resolution calling upon the Union to enforce sanctions against the Azerbaijani regime,” he noted.

Asked whether he has enough evidence to insist on the ISIS militants’ presence in the recent war, the diplomat cited the photos and videos shared by Azerbaijani fighters, which featured tortured and beheaded soldiers. “Those images remind one of Syria and Iraq rather than the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. We have photos and videos telling us about three detainees – servicemen of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army. They were tortured and beheaded, i.e. – had their bodies mutilated, in blatant violation of the First, and Third Geneva Conventions. Thanks to the ICRC’s mediation, 16 Armenian servicemen’s bodies have to date been handed over to Armenia, and they too, were barbarically tortured and mutilated. What we speak of constitute real war crimes,” he said.

“It is more than obvious that it is the Islamic militants’ style; however, no grounded and final facts are available as yet.