A Dangerous Threat

The Armenian people face a constant, existential threat from their neighbours Turkey and Azerbaijan.  

Azerbaijan’s recent war of aggression against Armenians in Artsakh, alleged war crimes, Turkey’s perpetual denial of the Armenian genocide, Azerbaijan’s ongoing, dehumanizing propaganda, violent ethnic hate crimes, and their destruction of Armenian cultural heritage sites prove this threat is real and escalating.

Azerbaijan, under the authoritarian rule of President Ilham Aliyev, has one of the worst human rights records in the world, and is viewed by the international community as a highly corrupt country. Bank records leaked in 2017 revealed Azerbaijan was running a US$2.9 billion slush fund and an international money laundering scheme. Part of the money was used to help whitewash Azerbaijan’s international image, which had been rightly tainted due to grave human rights violations.

The Aliyev regime, and the Azerbaijani army are well-financed by the country’s oil and gas exports, via SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic. More than 77% of SOCAR’s global revenue moves through their operations in Switzerland, mostly from commodities trading and retail services such as fuel stations and Migrolino franchises.  

Most Swiss citizens do not know the story of SOCAR and Azerbaijan, nor would they be in favor of financially supporting a foreign military campaign that includes alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and funding an autocratic regime that is wholly against the Swiss values of democracy and human rights. And yet, that is exactly what Swiss consumers do every time they shop at one of the 170 SOCAR gas stations around the country.

Citizens of Switzerland have the right to know the type of company they are supporting by buying at SOCAR stations – and to what their money is contributing.

Our Actions

The Switzerland-Armenia Association (GSA) is working to ensure that Switzerland is no longer a hub for the SOCAR war machine. We are fighting against Baku’s infiltration and corruption of Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition. Through legal, journalistic and publicity measures, we are raising awareness and motivating authorities to take measures against the tarnishing of Switzerland’s image, and we are educating consumers to make responsible purchases.

Records & Links