YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. Independent Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has issued a statement and video commemorating the Armenian Genocide and calling for accountability for Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the release of hostages, and sanctions on Azerbaijan.

“After the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the Azeri regime is still holding onto the civilian political leadership of Artsakh: its prior presidents, ministers, and parliament members, as well as dozens of others as hostages to coerce further territorial concessions from Armenia.

“The regime threatens to invade Armenia if they don't cede several towns and villages inside Armenia's territorial boundaries. Today, Azerbaijani bulldozers are destroying what remains of Armenian heritage in Artsakh. If left without international support, the Armenian Genocide of 1915 will be finalized in the coming weeks and months.

“We must act now to hold Azerbaijan accountable by calling for the release of the hostages and enforcing sanctions until a safe and viable path for the return of the indigenous Armenians to Artsakh is achieved. Though today we commemorate the 109th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, the plight of the Armenians is not over – and we must recommit ourselves to end the ethnic cleansing and defend Armenians’ right to self-determination,” the statement reads.