Foreign Affairs committee  In fact, during my presentation, I gave you a number of such measures. I would definitely start with facilitating the visits of the people to Nagorno-Karabakh so they are able to visit their homes and the graveyards. In addition to that, quite a lot of people want to go back to collect their documents and some other belongings.

Foreign Affairs committee  Good afternoon, Chairman, Vice-Chairs Bergeron and Chong, and distinguished members of the committee. I am deeply honoured to have this opportunity to address you once again. When we met in January, the primary topic of our discussion was the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh. At that time, I shared with you the concerns that my organization, the International Crisis Group, had about the escalating tensions and general instability in the region.

Foreign Affairs committee  As I think I said before, we see that Azerbaijan is in control over protesters who are present on that road. There are other signs that the protesters coordinate closely with Azerbaijani governmental structures. Even more, we see the Azerbaijani leadership speaking and using the same wording used by the protesters.

Foreign Affairs committee  The local people are experiencing shortages of food. There have been no vegetables or fruits for weeks now. There are other problems with medical supplies. If you go to the local drugstore, you cannot even get elementary painkillers, not to mention drugs that are needed for those who have cancer, for example, or diabetes.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you so much. I think two things should be done around the blockade. First, I think Canada should continue exercising pressure on Baku so that we can start seeing at least more movement going on along that road. I speak to the people on the ground on a regular basis, and I understand that it's getting worse and worse.

Foreign Affairs committee  Look, if it were about the environment, there would be other ways to proceed. Almost the same day the process started, when they blocked the road, the local authorities in Stepanakert tried proposing talks. Then they even proposed, “If you don't trust us, let's bring international experts and some international NGOs that can help us to look into your concerns and somehow resolve the problem.”

Foreign Affairs committee  I think Armenia and Azerbaijan have been on the right track. They have been talking and they were discussing the very essence of very difficult topics. They should continue doing that. There should be no use of force and no situations like what we see in the Nagorno-Karabakh. Escalations prevent negotiations, and we should definitely see more contact taking place between Baku and Stepanakert to guarantee the future of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Foreign Affairs committee  With respect to the question of peacekeepers, they have a very limited contingent present on the ground. They are based mainly along the main roads, with various checkpoints. They do not have enough personnel, for example, to provide any kind of security to the local population.

Foreign Affairs committee  I don't think that is really the case. Armenia has been a sovereign country for over 30 years. Azerbaijan has a very determined and realistic approach to many things. I think the main problem is still the fact that they are aiming to finish the process as soon as possible. They're looking into very difficult topics.

Foreign Affairs committee  We clearly identify the current events as a blockade, similar to human rights organizations like Freedom House and Amnesty International. There are also others who identify those very events as a blockade.

Foreign Affairs committee  For over 40 days we have been seeing Azerbaijani civilians blocking the only road that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. A number of facts identify that activists are connected to the Azerbaijani government. We have been doing our own research into that. It's clear that these activists have links to the government.

Foreign Affairs committee  I understand that it's very important to proceed with discussions on the security and human rights of the ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the ceasefire statement made by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, the Russian peacekeepers who are currently present in the Armenian-populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh are responsible for observing the ceasefire.

Foreign Affairs committee  There is no need for me to spend more time on this. We just need to look at the ceasefire statement made in November 2020. Similar to this, there is also the OSCE statement about sending the fact-finding mission to Armenia last year, the one that Mr. Cutler questioned a while ago.

Foreign Affairs committee  This is a great question, especially the part about the OSCE's role. We have that organization involved and also the OSCE Minsk Group. The co-chairs are France, Russia and the U.S. As you probably know, the Minsk Group has been facing enormous problems in resuming its functions after the 2020 war due to Azerbaijani resistance to engaging with the group.

Foreign Affairs committee  Absolutely. I just want to say that the OSCE should have the role. The recent events at the border, for example, show that the OSCE can send a mission and can do fact-finding, but that does not really mean.... Even if the OSCE, which Baku is so allergic about, cannot do its job, that does not prevent Canada from doing something and supporting, for example, the European Union the way the U.S. does.