One ethnic Greek born in Armenia has been killed while defending Artsakh from a Turkish-sponsored invasion attempt.
Osipov Aren, who born in Armenia in 1984 but was living in Russia, returned to the country of his birth to defend Artsakh when the Azerbaijani military and Syrian mercenaries launched an invasion attempt on September 27.
In speaking with Greek City Times, Maria Lazareva, the President of the Greek Community in Armenia, said that they have not been able to locate and contact Aren's family, so funeral information is not yet known.
However, she explained that martyrs names are usually announced after their funeral, so he could already be buried before publicly known.
The exact date and location of his death is not yet known either.
Aren's sacrifice comes as the Azerbaijani military continue to commit war crimes against the Armenian people in Artsakh.
Last week, Azerbaijani forces targeted the Shushi Holy Martyr Cathedral, and then struck again when journalists went to cover the events, as reported by Greek City Times.
Azerbaijan has also targeted hospitals and kindergartens, resulting in several casualties.
Their soldiers have beheaded Armenian defenders, although in poetic justice the Azerbaijani soldier that committed the war crime was killed in combat.
In shocking cases, Azerbaijani special forces have killed six civilians in the town of Hadrut, including a disabled man and his mother, as well as a 73-year-old man.
In an interview last week, Lazareva said:
“The morale of the Armenians in Armenia and Artsakh, but also of the Greeks who live there, is very high and everyone, without exception, is ready to run to the front line. There is no fear at all in the Greek community or in the whole of Armenia. Unfortunately, war and conflict are not new to our lives. Even in the last days when the Azeris target the civilian population, when our villages and cities are being bombed, the people are fearless and united."
With the war crimes that Azerbaijan is committing, which directly targets churches, hospitals, children, the elderly and the disabled, there is little wonder why the 1,000 Greeks of Armenia and the 40 Greeks of Artsakh are resisting the Turkish-sponsored invasion attempt.
“Most Greeks living in Armenia are citizens of the Republic of Armenia. So this is our duty to protect our homeland. Yes, soldiers and volunteers of Greek origin are fighting alongside the Armenian forces. But now there are no Greek, Russian, Kurd, Yazidi or other ethnic minorities in Armenia. We are a people and we all protect our common homeland,” Lazareva also said last week.
The martyrdom of Osipov Aren holds true to her statement and his sacrifice to defend Artsakh's freedom from Turkish-sponsored war crimes will be remembered.
