Serj Tankian has released an acoustic video for his track Artsakh.
Rolling Stone report that the System Of A Down frontman was inspired to write the song following clashes in April between Armenian fighters in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and forces from neighbouring Azerbaijan.
The region lies within Azerbaijan’s borders but both Armenians and Azeris consider the mountainous region their cultural heart. Armenians call the area Artsakh – and Tankian wrote the track in support of its people.
Tankian says: “These people have lived on those lands for thousands of years. They have struggle but also great beauty written on their foreheads. The whimsical appropriation of land by an empire Stalin placed them under Azerbaijan.
“They have since gained their independence and have lived a prosperous existence for the last 20 or so years. I do not believe in wars and ultimately borders but I deeply believe in self-determination and life without oppression. Therefore it is time for the world to recognise them as the Republic of Artsakh.”
Tankian released the soundtrack to the film 1915 last month. The 2015 movie commemorated the centennial anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
