Impact<\/strong><\/p>\nIn addition to displacing thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh civilians, the conflict has significantly affected the cultural heritage of the region. According to Cornell University, Azeri forces have posed a persistent threat to hundreds of century-old Armenian monasteries, churches, cemeteries and shrines, leading to their ongoing damage or destruction. These religious buildings are often targeted because of their symbolic value.<\/p>\n
Beyond political motivations, the vibrant history of the region is being eroded. It’s disheartening to imagine a future where I am unable to see these beautiful monuments or share their significance with the next generation of Armenians.<\/p>\n
It is urgent that the international community recognizes its responsibility to safeguard this cultural legacy and ensure its preservation for future generations. As individuals, even as high school readers, we can contribute by learning about the conflict, raising awareness, and advocating for action from our respective governments and organizations.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, protests have broken out worldwide in response to recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh. Following the ceasefire deal Aug. 20, 2023, thousands of protesters gathered on Yerevan’s Republic Squares and in various other parts of the world, according to The Guardian. These demonstrators criticized Russia, which has maintained a peacekeeping force there since 2020, as well as their own prime minister, for failing to protect the lives of ethnic Armenians.<\/p>\nArmenians hold the Armenian flag during anti-war demonstrations by the Armenian and Azeri communities outside the BBC at Portland Place in London. The protest took place in July 2020 after border clashes occurred, killing dozens of people, as stated in The Guardian. (Image used with permission from Flickr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
Moving forward<\/strong><\/p>\nAccording to The New York Times, Azerbaijan held a meeting with representatives of the Artsakh Armenian community Sept. 21, 2023, in Yevlakh. Nonetheless, ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were reported by both Artsakh and local residents in Stepanakert that very day.<\/p>\n
In painful moments like this, a nation, like an individual, wants to be seen. While Armenians grapple with the aftermath of war, the loss of life and the forced exodus from their ancestral lands, we turn to the outside, hoping our story might be recognized and told.<\/p>\n
Yet, the biggest challenge is that the international press often believes a story is only valuable if it serves market interests or is happening in the more “important” parts of the world. Particularly with the world’s eyes fixated on the war in Ukraine, the Nargorno-Karabakh conflict has been largely overshadowed. As a result, too few people in our community are informed about this conflict.<\/p>\n
Armenians yearn for a compassionate world that values our narrative, recognizing that the worth of a story lies not only in its market appeal but in the shared humanity that binds us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Editor’s Note: Azeri and Azerbaijani are used interchangeably in this article to refer to the people of Azerbaijan. I am a descendant of an Armenian genocide survivor. My ancestors fled the Armenian village of Ani in 1915, which is now under Turkish occupation, to seek refuge in modern-day France. Like many of my fellow Armenians…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1296,2202,1430,5],"tags":[],"custom_fields":{"_thumbnail_id":["29976"],"sno_template":["full"],"featureimage":["Beside Story"],"videolocation":["Above Story"],"jobtitle":["Media Team"],"flow_story":["1"],"_edit_lock":["1714475623:949"],"primarycat":["0"],"primarytag":["0"],"primary_sidebar":["default"],"secondary_sidebar":["default"],"customizations":["a:36:{s:16:\"split-background\";s:7:\"#000000\";s:11:\"split-color\";s:7:\"#ffffff\";s:30:\"split-media-overlay-background\";s:7:\"#000000\";s:25:\"split-media-overlay-color\";s:7:\"#ffffff\";s:24:\"media-overlay-background\";s:7:\"#000000\";s:19:\"media-overlay-color\";s:7:\"#ffffff\";s:21:\"media-overlay-opacity\";s:0:\"\";s:22:\"media-overlay-location\";s:0:\"\";s:11:\"media-float\";s:0:\"\";s:13:\"headline-size\";s:4:\"44px\";s:20:\"headline-line-height\";s:6:\"1.35em\";s:9:\"deck-size\";s:4:\"24px\";s:16:\"deck-line-height\";s:5:\"1.3em\";s:12:\"byline-photo\";s:4:\"none\";s:11:\"media-width\";s:5:\"story\";s:16:\"media-max-height\";s:5:\"600px\";s:15:\"media-image-fit\";s:5:\"cover\";s:13:\"body-drop-cap\";s:10:\"sno-no-cap\";s:23:\"body-drop-cap-font-size\";s:4:\"96px\";s:11:\"video-width\";s:5:\"story\";s:12:\"date-display\";s:6:\"Append\";s:13:\"views-display\";s:6:\"Append\";s:17:\"catblocks-display\";s:4:\"Show\";s:11:\"tag-display\";s:4:\"Show\";s:14:\"social-display\";s:4:\"Show\";s:21:\"social-icons-location\";s:18:\"Float Center Right\";s:18:\"social-icons-style\";s:10:\"full-color\";s:24:\"social-icons-style-hover\";s:18:\"Full Color Inverse\";s:23:\"related-sidebar-display\";s:4:\"Show\";s:15:\"related-content\";s:8:\"Category\";s:19:\"contributor-display\";s:4:\"Show\";s:28:\"contributor-photo-fill-style\";s:5:\"cover\";s:16:\"sidebar-location\";s:0:\"\";s:26:\"secondary-sidebar-location\";s:0:\"\";s:10:\"fse-header\";s:0:\"\";s:13:\"fse-head-foot\";s:0:\"\";}"],"story_header":["default"],"story_footer":["default"],"sno_ga4_story_views":["332"],"sno_ga4_story_views_expiration":["1716036052"],"related_content_data":["a:3:{i:1296;a:4:{s:4:\"name\";s:8:\"In-depth\";s:4:\"type\";s:8:\"category\";s:4:\"link\";s:43:\"https:\/\/standard.asl.org\/category\/packages\/\";s:7:\"teasers\";a:6:{i:30006;a:5:{s:8:\"headline\";s:71:\"Shadowed by sexism: How gender inequality manifests in school community\";s:3:\"url\";s:111:\"https:\/\/standard.asl.org\/30006\/features\/shadowed-by-sexism-how-gender-inequality-manifests-in-school-community\/\";s:9:\"photo_url\";s:80:\"https:\/\/standard.asl.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sexism-Featured-Image-12.gif\";s:11:\"photo_ratio\";d:1.7763157894736842923322228671167977154254913330078125;s:8:\"alt_text\";s:259:\"Students and faculty share their thoughts on the current climate of sexism at ASL. 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