Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2020-10-27 15:07 [p.1315]
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to put this very significant question forward. I appreciated the points made yesterday by the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. We are looking at a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian population is being decimated. Ceasefires fall apart before they start.
Does the Government of Canada think it is a deficiency in our ability to deal in this crisis that we have no diplomatic presence in the region? We are doing what we can, and I applaud stopping military sales, but Turkey and Israel are sending arms to Azerbaijan. Surely we should be more active and on the ground with a diplomatic presence.
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Papineau)
2020-10-27 15:09 [p.1316]
Mr. Speaker, we are deeply concerned by the violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. We call for immediate cessation of hostilities, strict observance of ceasefires and the protection of citizens. We continue to support the important work of the OSCE Minsk Group aimed at encouraging a peaceful and negotiated resolution to this conflict. There is no military solution and that is why we keep calling for negotiations.
I spoke directly with Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan a number of days ago, as well as with Turkish President Erdogan, encouraging everyone in the region to cease hostilities and return to dialogue.