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On Sunday, May 12 at 1:30 PM a prayer in support and solidarity with “Tavush for Armenia” will be held at the St. Yeghiche Church (13B Cranley Gardens, London SW7 3BB) under the auspices of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland. Similar events and marches will be held throughout all diaspora communities.

The special service will be held by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland  and a short vigil outside the church organised by the UK Armenians for Tavush, in supports of the movement known as “Tavush for the Homeland” lead by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the Diocese of Tavush. This has rapidly become a popular movement, where most cities and regions of Armenia have joined to show their solidarity. Over 43 European cities including London and Manchester have also joined in and elsewhere in the diaspora making this a worldwide national liberation movement.

What can you do?

– Follow “UK Armenians for Tavush” in Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.
– Participate in the activities to support the Tavush for Homeland movement.
– Make your voice heard!

Background:
The demarcation and delimitation process currently taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan contradicts international norms and principles , including the basic principle that any international agreement reached through the threat or use of force is null and void. The process is essentially carried out under conditions of secrecy and is also illegal as any territorial changes of the Republic of Armenia shall be exclusively decided by way of a referendum. There are no legal bases for the activity and powers of the demarcation commission created by an order of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister agreeing to these unilateral concessions (Aliyev is demanding 8 villages and pursuing the Western Azerbaijan narrative that includes most of Armenia) is not guaranteeing that Azerbaijan will not attack and lasting peace will be possible.
International norms requests that the aggressor should retreat from occupied territories, (Azerbaijan is currently occupying over 200 km2 of sovereign Armenian territory) then a peace agreement should be made which would follow demarcation and delimitation process based on international law and monitored by an international organisation such as the OSCE.
In the absence of a peace treaty, an attempt is being made to settle the border issues in a piecemeal manner and through unilateral concessions, which will inevitably lead to serious security problems.
In fact, there is no agreed delimitation and demarcation process. An attempt is being made to make unilateral concessions under the coercion of Azerbaijan. Handing over territories will create serious security threats to the life and property rights of thousands of people, free movement, and cultural heritage.
Another concern is that this process will endanger communications, transportation, and various infrastructures (republican, regional and community roads, gas pipeline entering Armenia, water reserves, telecommunication, and electricity channels,
The “Tavush for the Motherland” movement, led by His Eminence Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the Primate of the Diocese of Tavush, aims to push the Republic of Armenia authorities to stop this illegal process that threatens the territorial integrity, security, and peace of the Republic of Armenia.
“We are marching to Yerevan to end the unconstitutional and unilateral surrender of our lands. Armenia’s borders must only be set by the Armenian state – not foreign dictates or violent demands,” said Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.

MESSAGE TO THE UK ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN RESPECT OF THE UNLAWFUL PROCESS OF UNILATERAL SURRENDER OF LAND IN THE TAVUSH REGION

Dear Compatriots,

The process of unilaterally handing over the sovereign territories of Armenia to the enemy under the name of “Demilitarization” is nothing but capitulation – aiming to satisfy the demands of Azerbaijan in an unlawful, unconstitutional manner, which must be condemned.
The demarcation process is being carried out without clarification and transparency on the principles and legal basis.

Today, the Armenian state is in effect implementing the handing over these four villages in Tavush region to Azerbaijan, unconstitutionally, endangering the security of borders of our homeland and the safety of its population, which is creating number of extremely alarming consequences:

A: The handing over of the territories will create serious security threats to the lives and property rights of thousands of people and their free movement.

B: The strategically important heights and relatively well-defended front line in the north-east will be disbanded and compromised.

C: The recent statement of Prime Minister Pashinyan questioning these four villages being part of the sovereign territory of Armenia, portrays the Republic of Armenia as an aggressor that has been illegally occupying Azerbaijani settlements for more than 30 years.

D: The hand over of these territories will cause huge disruption to Armenia’s regional and local transportation networks, the gas pipelines entering Armenia, as well as telecommunication and electric power lines.

E: By conceding to the Azerbaijani demands, prerequisites will be created for new concessions, this time on the issue of so-called enclaves.

Concessions will lead to new security problems on Armenia’s borders, increasing our vulnerability to possible military actions.

The hand over of territories is unconstitutional and will have adverse legal consequences. The question of the sovereignty over any territory under the jurisdiction of Armenia should exclusively be decided by way of a referendum.

Instead of solving the security problems, by strengthening the army and finding partners that can help us achieve this, the RA authorities are leading the country to a new war and new losses with a false agenda of peace.

In reality, there is no agreed demarcation and delimitation process. Simply, an attempt is made to extract unilateral concessions under the coercion of Azerbaijan.

Concessions in Tavush region are not just a local matter; the return of the so-called Azerbaijani villages will inevitably have serious consequences for the survival and security of our statehood.

Peace dialogues and border disputes can not be carried out under threats, nor can unilateral decisions to hand over native lands be made in these conditions.

Today the population of Tavush have rejected this process and have decided to fight for their rights and the overall security of the homeland.

We, the UK Armenian community, express our unconditional solidarity to our compatriots in Tavush and their resistance for a secure and just Armenia.

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