Uruguay’s Political Parties Condemn Azerbaijan’s Attacks on Armenia

MONTEVIDEO – The National Party, which leads the ruling coalition in Uruguay, issued a statement on July 22 regarding Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenia since July 12.

The traditional National Party, also known as the White Party, called on both sides to respect international agreements and establish peace in the region based on the right of peoples to free self-determination.

In turn, the executive committee of another Uruguayan traditional party, Colorado, which is part of the ruling coalition, issued a statement condemning Azerbaijan’s attacks on Armenia and calling for an end to militaristic rhetoric and peace through negotiations. The Colorado Party, which ruled in Uruguay for over a century, has expressed its support for the Armenian people, who have the right to exercise their sovereignty in freedom and peace.

Days ago, the Broad Front of Uruguay also issued a statement in which it expressed its “total disapproval of the warlike actions carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces against the Republic of Armenia,” the “rejection of the expressions of the Turkish government that they support the actions of Azerbaijan,” and its solidarity with Armenia.

The opposition left-wing People’s Union party noted in a statement that these Azerbaijani attacks pose the danger of starting a large-scale war in a region of constant instability. “The Armenian people have the right to self-determination, and one should not forget that all mankind owes a debt to the Armenian people, against whom genocide was committed at the beginning of the last century,” the People’s Union party notes.

Esther Mkrtumyan Armenian Ambassador to Uruguay, in an interview with MassisPost affilaite in Uruguay, Radio Arax, thanked the Uruguayan government and people for continued support of the Armenian nation and people. The Ambassador informed the radio audience that Armenia suffered a blatant attack from Azerbaijan on July 12, which was repeated on July 13, 16 and 20. “For us [Armenian Government] this attack was not expected, because it is the first time the truce has been violated to this extent against the sovereign Armenian territory. These artillery attacks and infantry raids have been carried out in a flagrant violation of the truce that has governed the region for 25 years.”

In an interview with Massispost, the Chairman of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Uruguay Executive Committee,  Daniel Manuelian, reported that various organizations of the Armenian community issued a statement rejecting the attacks by Azerbaijan, which has generated significant repercussions since the political forces have shown solidarity with Armenia and its people, demonstrating Uruguay’s support for peace and defending the rights of the Armenian people to live freely on their land. Manuelian reported that this new expression of firmness from Uruguay will surely generate a strong diplomatic reaction from Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The situation on the Tavush section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border escalated sharply after midday on July 12, when, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces tried to cross the Armenian state border in the direction of Tavush in a UAZ vehicle. Over the past week, as a result of hostilities, during which the sides used artillery, drones and other military equipment, according to official data, 11 military men were killed from the Azerbaijani side, including a general, a colonel and other officers, and one civilian, four from the Armenian side: military personnel – two officers and two conscripts.

Since the end of last week, the border has remained relatively calm. However, late in the evening on July 21, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the Armenian Armed Forces were repelling another attack of the enemy special forces in the direction of the Armenian post “Fearless” (“Anvakh”) on the Tavush section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.