G7 Countries Express Serious Concern over Forced Exodus of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh’s

TOKYO — The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations on Wednesday expressed serious concern at the forced exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population and called for a “lasting peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We are gravely concerned over the humanitarian consequences of the displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh after the military operation conducted by Azerbaijan,” they said in a joint statement issued after their meeting in Tokyo.

“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,” added the statement signed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the top diplomats of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

It stopped short of explicitly urging Azerbaijan to allow the safe return of more than 100,000 Karabakh Armenians who fled to Armenia following the September 19-20 offensive condemned by the EU. Blinken also criticized it when he spoke to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on September 19.