Representatives of more than 30 Armenian communities and organization across Germany gathered in front of Federal Chancellor’s Office on Saturday to demand that Germany stop arms delivery to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Die Tageszeitung reports.
The demonstrators called for “tougher sanctions against Turkey and Azerbaijan.”
The rally comes as Turkey and Azerbaijan are holding joint military exercises on the Armenian border. Earlier this month Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed unequivocal support to Azerbaijan during the border clashes.
An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 Armenians live in Germany. The Azerbaijani community is estimated to be double.
“How safe is Armenian life in Germany today?” says Azat Ordukhanyan, who represents the Armenian community in Bochum. He says his compatriots are afraid when they walk in the park or get on the subway. “An Azerbaijani could appear behind his back.”
An Armenian Embassy vehicle was set on fire in Berlin on July 23. An Armenian shisha bar in Cologne was also attacked last week. According to the bar owner’s lawyer, the bar was attacked by around 30 people in black face masks, who identified themselves as Azerbaijani.
“These are organized terrorist attacks against the citizens of Armenian descent living in Germany,” says a statement by the Central Council of Armenia in Germany, which has alarmed the State Security and the Ministry of the Interior in Germany.
Photos by Azat Ordukhanyan
