The ARF Youth Organization participated in the Young European Socialists Bureau Meeting held in Brussels from December 12 to 14. The delegation was represented by Arpiar Melikjian, a member of the Armenian Youth Federation Netherlands.
During the meeting, the ARF representative addressed the shrinking space for political opposition in Armenia, ongoing political scrutiny and persecution by the current regime, and the imprisonment of several comrades. In the country report, the ARF Youth representative highlighted the continued illegal detention of 23 Armenian hostages in Azerbaijani prisons, calling for their immediate and unconditional release. Furthermore, the report reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh to return to their homeland and their right to self-determination. Our representative emphasized the need to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the ethnic cleansing of 2023, as well as for the systematic destruction of Armenian cultural and historical heritage in the occupied territories of Nagorno Karabakh.
ARF Youth reaffirmed its commitment to remaining a constructive, engaged, and active full member of YES, working in solidarity for justice, democracy, and the protection of collective rights in the #EU and the European neighbourhood.
The ARF Youth Organization expressed gratitude to YES for its support and for a constructive Bureau Meeting, thanking in particular the host, JS Belgium.
