Hundreds of Bay Area Azerbaijanis gather in S.F. to raise awareness for conflict in Caucasus - San Francisco Chronicle

kuangkunang.blogspot.com

A couple of hundred Bay Area residents from Azerbaijan filled Embarcadero Plaza Saturday afternoon to raise awareness for an ongoing conflict in their home region.

The masked and socially distant crowd waved Azerbaijani and American flags as multiple speakers called for peace and protection of a disputed region currently embroiled in deadly conflict.

‘It’s a very difficult time for Azerbaijani-Americans,” said Bakhtiyar Neyman, speaking into a microphone on a stage with the Ferry Building in the backdrop. “Many of us every day are calling our families in Azerbaijan and asking them if our relatives are safe in cities and villages close to the front line.”

The rally highlighted a decades-long conflict in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan, but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since war ended in 1994. Fighting broke out on Sept. 27, killing at least 1,000 people, according to officials from both sides. Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of targeting its towns and villages with artillery and missiles, which Armenian authorities have denied. The U.S. waded into peace talks Friday, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meeting with foreign ministers from both sides to broker a resolution.

Saturday’s rally organized by local Azerbaijanis was smaller than a rally by the Bay Area Armenian community two weeks ago that drew an estimated 3,000 across the Golden Gate Bridge. Some of the signs at two rallies were mirrors of each other - “Stop Azeri aggression” versus “Stop Armenian aggression” and “Artsakh is Armenia” versus “Karabakh is Azerbaijan,” with each side using their own name for the region in conflict. Other messages called for “Lasting Peace through Co-existence.”

Saturdays event started with a moment of silence for victims, followed by speeches interspersed with music recordings. Speakers shared memories of the war, how they’re impacted by the current conflict, and information on the region’s history and politics from a different perspective than the large Armenian-American population in California. The two-hour long event ended with protesters streaming toward the Ferry Building.

Bay Area residents from the two communities have expressed similar fear and stress as their loved ones are impacted by violence. Both sides say they want peace and protection for their homeland, although they debate who lays claim historically to the territory where war is raging and who is responsible for the current conflict.

Azerbaijanis said they have been displaced from the region since the war.