Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Karabakh movement, a monumental event for the global Armenian community. In 1991, the people of Artsakh declared independence from the Soviet Union and their aspiration for a Nagorno-Karabakh republic. The region's residents, primarily ethnically Armenian, then held a referendum in which 82% of all voters participated, and 99% voted for independence. Unfortunately, war then broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Despite a 1994 ceasefire, long-term peace and a durable political solution have been absent. Since 2016, innocent lives have been lost on an almost daily basis.
This House must affirm our commitment to the protection and human rights of civilians and call on all parties to strictly adhere to the terms of the ceasefire. More fundamentally, we call on the Canadian government to work for a just solution to this conflict, one that conforms with international law and is built on the inalienable right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.