Greeks and Armenians have amassed on the Greek/Turkish border at Evros to protest the Turkish regime's involvement in the ongoing conflict in Artsakh, known officially as Nagorno-Karabakh.
Around 300 were present at the protest waving Greek and Armenian flags and chanting "Turkey out of Armenia". A convoy of 80 cars drove in the direction of the border amid tight security.
Many trucks and other vehicles moving along the busy trade route in the north of Greece honked their horns and shouted messages of support to the protestors.
Other protests in support of the Armenian cause have taken place in other cities in Greece and across the world, notably in Los Angeles where, like in Greece, a large number of Armenian ex-patriots live.
The recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, erupted on the 27th of September this year and has so far led to the loss of hundreds of lives. Two short lived ceasefires have been put in place but have been broken almost immediately by Azerbaijani forces.
The conflict surrounds the rights of the ethnic Armenian Christians who make up the vast majority of the population of Artsakh, which sits in Azerbaijani territory. These Armenians contest that they are victims of discrimination and persecution within Azerbaijan at the hands of the Azerbaijani state and elements of the Islamic Azerbaijani society. The Armenians of Artsakh seek either independence or a reunification with Armenia. The Armenian state contests that should it leave Artsakh then the population would be liable to be ethnically cleansed.
Azerbaijan has undertaken steps in recent years to eliminate Armenian history within the country by tearing down ancient monuments and bulldozing ancient burial sites. However, these crimes went almost entirely unreported in the global press.
Turkey has maintained with Azerbaijan that all Armenian forces should leave Azerbaijani territory with immediate effect.
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