City of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown
“On this Thanksgiving Weekend, a time of celebration for families, many Brampton, and GTA residents are concerned and worried about the fighting taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There is an urgent need to end the continuing military action in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. I am very disappointed to hear reports of ceasefire violations and consider them unacceptable. I encourage the Honourable Francois-Phillipe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to continue to work collaboratively with his European counterparts to find lasting peaceful solutions to the current challenges in Nagorno-Karabakh.
I want to extend my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones. My thoughts are with them during this time of sorrow and reflection. More than 500 people have been reportedly killed in Armenia in less than one month of fighting. I was saddened to hear of the recent death of Kristapor Artin, a former Toronto resident.
The Ghazanchetsots (Holy Saviour) Cathedral, an iconic site for the Armenian Apostolic Church, came under rocket fire on Thursday, as fighting raged between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
A comprehensive resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is overdue. This can only be delivered through a negotiated settlement and not through military action. I echo the comments by Minister Champagne, Turkey needs to play a role in de-escalation, staying out of the conflict, and encouraging Azerbaijan to come back to the negotiating table as there is no military solution to this conflict. All parties must urgently return to the negotiating table to work toward this aim without preconditions. The parties to the conflict must stop the violence and respect the ceasefire agreement that was negotiated last week. I will always speak out for international law, peace, human rights and democracy.”