Joint statement by Armenian Youth Federation (Armenia) and Young Meretz (Israel)
04 October 2020
Since last Sunday, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and its inhabitants have faced large-scale attacks from Azerbaijan together with Turkey supported by jihadi mercenaries. These attacks have resulted in hundreds of soldiers and civilians being killed.
From the early stages of attacks, it has been clear that Azerbaijan has been utilizing Israeli-made weapons, including drones, loitering munitions, and anti-tank missiles to carry out its assault. The sale of these arms indicates direct involvement of Israel in the Artsakh conflict.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a leading conflict and armaments think-tank, the Israeli government has sold Azerbaijan some $825 million in weapons between 2006 and 2019.
The Armenian Youth Federation Armenia and the Israeli Young Meretz condemn the attack on Artsakh and Armenia and condemn the selling of weapons and munitions to Azerbaijan.
We call upon the Israeli government to immediately stop selling any military equipment to Azerbaijan in order to avoid any contribution to destabilizing the region, which will never be in Israel’s interest.
We as Israeli and Armenian youth organizations believe that the Artsakh and conflicts in general should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful negotiations.