The next item is the short debate. This afternoon's short debate is to be presented by Llyr Gruffydd, and I call on Llyr Gruffydd to speak to the topic he's chosen.

Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak in this short debate today.

We can all be rightly proud of the internationalist outlook that has been a prominent part of our history, as Welsh people, over the years. Back in the early twentieth century, we had our Welsh League of United Nations, which campaigned for peace and international co-operation after the first world war. That is what drove the women’s peace petition of 1923, which was signed by more than 390,000 women, encouraging the United States to join and lead the League of Nations. Also, for over a century, the annual Urdd message of peace has been transmitted across the world, spreading a message of peace and goodwill from the children and young people of Wales to all parts and peoples of the globe.

These particular examples emerged in the pre-devolution era. And what they represented, in fact, was a means for Wales to speak collectively with one voice at a time when we didn’t have our own national parliament to articulate those feelings of international solidarity with others facing injustice and oppression across the world.

The Deputy Presiding Officer took the Chair.

Now, more recently, of course, this Senedd has ensured that Wales is a nation of sanctuary, which is all about welcoming those from all across the world who have been displaced by war and conflict and those seeking a safe place to live. And, heaven knows, in light of some of the narrative coming from the Westminster Government at the moment, we really need to reflect on our responsibility to provide that sanctuary. Now that we have our own Senedd—albeit with little powers or competence in an international context—we have a duty to use this platform and to raise our collective voice to call out injustices wherever we see them. Despite the fact that many of the powers to really effect change are reserved to Westminster, we have a moral duty to use our status as a national Parliament, as a national Government, to speak up and to speak out to condemn human rights abuses, to condemn war and aggression and to reach out and embrace those who are in their hour of need. We're doing so with Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We've done so in assistance to the people fleeing persecution from the Taliban in Afghanistan. We've done so in condemnation of the ongoing human rights abuses faced by the women of Iran. Not only are we a nation of sanctuary, we are a nation of solidarity. And that’s why, today, in the Senedd, we must also speak out and condemn the ongoing and largely overlooked atrocities perpetrated against the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia is a comparatively small country, with a population similar to that of Wales. And since their independence, first in 1918 and then again in 1991, they have faced war and genocide by their neighbours. Between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered by the Young Turks in what many nations still fail to correctly describe as genocide. And, prior to that, another genocide occurred under the Ottoman Empire, back in 1895, where 300,000 Armenians were murdered. Even the UK Government, over a century after those horrors were perpetrated against the Armenian people, is still to have the courage to call it out for what it was—genocide. Other nations that we often hold as beacons of freedom, liberty and human rights have only recently done so. Germany only recognised the Armenian genocide in 2016, and the USA did the same in 2019. And it’s high time that the UK Government followed suit.

In Wales, the road to genocide recognition began in 2001, of course, when Rhodri Morgan, then First Minister, laid flowers in memory of the 1915 genocide victims. Later, in 2010, there was an explicit recognition of the Armenian genocide by the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, when he paid homage to Armenian victims during the Holocaust memorial commemorations. The Church in Wales followed suit soon after, declaring 24 April as Armenian Genocide Day. Now, these have all been welcome, albeit incremental, steps. But, circumstances today mean it cannot stop there.

While a part of the Soviet Union, multiple votes and referendums were held in Nagorno-Karabakh to unify the oblast to Armenia, but these were rejected by Moscow. In 1988, the European Parliament passed a resolution supporting the demands of the ethnic Armenians in the region for reunification with Armenia, but, with a power vacuum from the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan took the area under military control, and since then, of course, the area has been plagued by war and by conflict.

And like in every war, the real victims are the civilians. The horrors facing the people of Armenia are not only in the past. We mustn’t let the people of Armenia once again be overlooked as atrocities and human rights abuses are perpetrated against them in Nagorno-Karabakh. The situation there is dire. Azerbaijan has closed the Goris-Stepanakert highway, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world via the Lachin corridor. For Armenians in Artsakh, this is a corridor for life, connecting them to supplies, to trade and to the rest of Armenia. A recent letter signed by Baroness Cox, Lord Alton of Liverpool, Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, Dr John Eibner and Tim Loughton MP described the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan as 'a medieval style siege'.

Just last month, the International Court of Justice, the ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, ordered provisional measures to ensure that Azerbaijan ends the blockade of the Lachin corridor. According to the ICJ, the situation has left some 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents in Nagorno-Karabakh without access to essential goods and services, including life-saving medication and healthcare. One cardiologist at a hospital there says they’re only doing 10 per cent of the procedures they would ordinarily be expected to do, simply because they don’t have the equipment they need. As a result he says, 'Every day we lose many people, many patients.'

The solidarity that we can show the people of Armenia means a lot, clearly, even though it costs us so little. I have been in contact with the Armenian community here in Wales, and in north Wales in particular, and I would like to read out some short statements from Anna, who moved from Armenia to Wales some years ago but who has family under siege in Nagorno-Karabakh. She says,

'I have friends and family that are caught up in what is going on and it’s very hard because when you know people it becomes so much more personal. My heart hurts for my country, for everybody, but then you have people who you know and you constantly worry about them. It’s difficult.'

Now, she talks about her cousin Rita and her family who now live in Stepanakert, which is in the area under blockade. They used to live in the town of Shusha, but, because Azerbaijan took over control, they had to move from there during the war. Anna told me,

'They ran away from there because there was bombing day and night. When the war ended, they decided to go to Stepanakert. Her son has wounds from this war. He has had one lung removed, a kidney has been damaged, and his spine is damaged too. He has three children.'

Her cousin Rita told her,

‘You know, Anna, it’s not the shortage of food or electricity or supplies. We lived through the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in those conditions. It’s not that. It’s the fear of not knowing what they’re going to do next.’

She goes on to say,

'In Wales, I would like to see Senedd Members sign the statement of opinion that has been tabled. So few people have signed it. It’s hurtful. We are not asking for too much. They just have to show that they understand our pain. We want acknowledgement, recognition and solidarity...I would like to see the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, and the Welsh Government speak out on this.'

She says,

'I am very disappointed that they have not.'

Now, we have a duty to condemn these actions, and although we might not have the power devolved to this Senedd to do much more than that, we must at least use the voice that we do have, not only to express solidarity with people like Anna and her family in Armenia, but also to put pressure on the UK Government to assist the Armenian people and to condemn the actions of Azerbaijan.

In 2019, as I mentioned earlier, Wales declared itself the world's first nation of sanctuary, a humane and pragmatic approach to the reception of refugees and asylum seekers, and since then, we have largely lived up to that billing, firstly, as I mentioned, with the assistance and housing of Afghan refugees and more recently, of course, with our support to Ukrainian refugees. This Welsh Government tells us that it believes that a distinctive Welsh response is needed for international assistance, and I agree. But words and actions are often of equal importance, and for us to prioritise the condemnation of some forms of international aggression against sovereign states while ignoring others, of course, is wrong.

Yes, we are a nation of sanctuary, not because we want to be popular, not because it's easy—far from it—but because we want those in need of sanctuary and support to know that we understand that, even during the horrors of war, people need to feel safe, that we, as a brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity are there for one another when people are fleeing persecution, human rights abuses, war and genocide. Our nation of sanctuary policy shows the world what makes us proud to be Welsh; we are kind and accepting and we offer the world our open arms when they are in need of our assistance. That's why I'm calling on this Senedd today, and on the Welsh Government, to condemn the war of terror being waged on the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh, to be proactive in urging the UK Government to do the same and also to provide aid to avert the humanitarian crisis facing 120,000 Armenian people there. And let our actions be motivated not only by properly recognising and remembering the horrors of the Armenian genocide of 1915-23, but also by the explicit recognition of the threat of another genocide occurring now, this year, a century later, in 2023, because if we don't speak out, if we don't use the voice that this Senedd and the Welsh Government has to call out these atrocities, then the blood will be on all our hands. Diolch.

I call on the Minister for Social Justice to reply to the debate.

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you for bringing forward the debate this afternoon.

We stand with all our international communities who must watch and see their people, and as you say, it's people—family and friends—go through suffering. We show solidarity as individuals, as communities, and as friends with those who still suffer persecution every single day. The Welsh Government condemns persecution and violence in all its forms anywhere in the world, and where discord exists or has existed, the Welsh Government supports efforts to promote reconciliation between people and Governments.

Wales enjoys relations with many nations across the world, many of whom have decided to make Wales their home, and Wales is and will always be a welcoming nation, a place that promotes and celebrates peace. Our history attests to this, as you have reminded us today, from the Welsh League of Nations Union and the remarkable women's peace appeal of the early 1900s, to the Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the creation of Academi Heddwch, right through to the nation of sanctuary we've committed to making Wales today. And as you've said, Llyr, the nation of sanctuary means helping anyone who is dispersed or resettled to Wales to access services and integrate with communities from day 1 of arrival. It is about seeing the person before seeing their immigration status. It is about recognising that individuals come with skills and experiences and not just simply needs to be met. It is about harnessing the opportunities that migration helps to bring to our economy and to our communities, and we are a nation of solidarity, as you say. That was my message this morning at an International Women's Day event, organised by Hwb Cymru Africa, which was describing some of the projects we're supporting in sub-Saharan Africa on gender empowerment.

I am aware that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is deeply complex, and, over the last 30 years, people have continued to suffer due to this conflict, which has been the backdrop to regional relations during this time. Well, as we've said, and, as we know, the UK Government have the lead on foreign affairs—it is reserved—and the UK Government have taken an active role. And I understand that their position towards tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh situation remains unchanged. But the UK Government, alongside much of the international community, has been clear that the current closure of the Lachin corridor, which is a lifeline into Nagorno-Karabakh, is wholly unacceptable, and they've repeatedly called for the opening of the corridor. 

Last week, on 2 March, the head of the UK delegation to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe stated that the UK Government remains deeply concerned by the continued disruption to the Lachin corridor, and urged immediate action to be taken to restore the flow of goods and people. The corridor has been discussed at the United Nations Security Council, and the fact that this has now been taken to the International Court of Justice, and a judgment passed, reinforces the need for urgent action to be taken. 

Now, my understanding is that the UK Government continues to support international efforts, including those led by the EU and the OSCE, and continues to call upon both Armenian and Azerbaijan Governments to work together to address their concerns, and to fulfil the commitments that both sides have made. And, throughout February, UK Ministers met representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia to discuss progress on peace discussions, and this included travelling out to Baku. 

And, thank you for raising the importance of humanitarian aid after the violence in 2020. The UK was the first nation to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and now, through the Start Fund, it has allocated £350,000 to support those affected by the closure of the corridor. The UK has committed to continuing to monitor the situation through their extensive engagements with humanitarian actors, to keep under review the need for future and further humanitarian assistance should the situation continue to deteriorate. And the reports that war crimes have been committed are deeply disturbing, and I know that many are worried about the risk of genocide in the region. 

As far as the Genocide Convention is concerned, and where there is evidence that thresholds have been met, the UK Government must ensure that appropriate action is taken, and where the UK Government has concerns over the conduct of troops, these matters will be directly raised with the appropriate Government.

Sadly, Dirprwy Lywydd, we are seeing conflicts in too many areas across the world. Much of it is caused by hatred, racism, lack of education, and unwillingness to sit down and listen and work with people. Wales has always been and remains a nation proud to open its doors, especially to those fleeing violence and hatred, and we're proud of the values of equality, co-operation and solidarity that are the hallmark of the Wales we live in today. But this must be a reality for people, and we must listen to the concerns that you've raised today on these matters. 

So, once again, thank you very much, Llyr Gruffydd. 

Thank you for tabling this motion today. 

Thank you to Llyr Gruffydd, and to the Minister. And that brings today's proceedings to a close. 

The meeting ended at 18:23.