What is happening in Armenia?
A growing conflict has the Fresno Armenian community fearing new violence in their homeland.
The dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan is about territory, a mountainous region called Nagorno-Karabakh.
Karabakh, known to Armenians as Artsakh, lies within Azerbaijan but has historically been occupied by ethnic Armenians and has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since the end of the separatist war in 1994.
Fresno state alumna and Armenian tv host Tatevik Ekezian said, “Azerbaijan seems to have this interesting feeling of ownership over the land which was never really theirs to begin with. So, to put it bluntly it is like if I take something away from you and you come get it back from me I get mad at you because you took something that was never really mine to begin with.”
Fighting periodically breaks out around Karabakh’s borders, but the long-simmering feud came to a head on September 27, 2020. Hundreds of people, some military, many civilians, have been killed and hurt in these attacks.
“The crimes that are being perpetrated are against civilians, innocent people who are living in the area. It is their home they are being driven out essentially, just to try to survive. This is a humanity issue,” Tatevik said.
The monument on Fresno states campus was built to remember the victims of the Armenian genocide carried out by Turkey more than 100 years ago. Many Armenians claim that today Turkey is seeking to continue the genocide because of their involvement and support in the recent dispute over Karabakh.
“What makes today, or this war, more severe than the other is the ‘X factor’ that i call it, and that’s Turkey. Now for some reason they have taken a very active part in joining Azerbaijan, fueling Azerbaijan to continue with their efforts to regain their territory,” said Tatevik.
The death toll has reached about 600 and the fighting continues despite a recent cease-fire.
An estimated 70,000 people have been displaced. Many local groups, including Fresno State’s Armenian student’s organization, are collecting supplies and fundraising to provide humanitarian aid to Armenia. you can help them by donating at www.armeniafund.org/donate
You can hear more from Fresno State alumna and Armenian tv host Tatevik Ekezian here.