YouSaid · the spoken record

Serzh Sargsyan

lines on the record: 72
first: 2008-09-24
most recent: 2017-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Moreover, we stand ready to increase our contribution in Lebanon and Mali — respectively, to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. As a landlocked country with scarce natural resources located in a complex region, Armenia has continuously emphasized that it considers human beings to be its most valuable resource. That is indeed the case both for Armenia and for the whole United Nations family — we should focus on people and we should strive for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is with great pain that we have been following the crisis in Syria and the humanitarian situation there, which has brought about the suffering of the civilian population, including the country’s Armenian community. Armenia is doing what it can to mitigate the suffering of the Syrian people by providing humanitarian assistance. We also express our willingness to engage in possible discussions on the peacemaking efforts in Syria under the United Nations auspices and with an appropriate mandate. I have no doubt that the United Nations family can ensure the needed cooperation to address modern global and regional challenges. It is with that objective in mind that Armenia participates in a number of the United Nations peacekeeping operations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Armenia today is an active member of the Eurasian Economic Union and spares no effort in contributing to the unimpeded movement of goods and services in that large economic area. In that way, we promote welfare for all. We have already registered certain achievements in that regard, and that makes us feel hopeful for the future. We also plan to conclude an Armenia-European Union comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement in November, which, in our view, will help give new impetus to the institutional reforms being implemented in Armenia. The current instability in the Middle East regretfully remains as a serious challenge.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The leadership of Turkey is mistaken if it thinks that it can keep those documents hostage forever and ratify them only at the most opportune occasion from its point of view. The protocols were negotiated in the existing circumstances at the time in order to find solutions to the then existing issues. Armenia will declare those two protocols null and void, since there has been no progress towards their implementation. We will enter the spring of 2018 without those, as our experience has demonstrated, futile Protocols. Armenia nevertheless continues to believe that any two neighbouring States need to establish and enjoy normal relations in order to address any possible disagreement between them and find solutions. That is the credo we are guided by in our engagement with various integration processes.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Nevertheless, we have never made recognition of the Armenian genocide a precondition for the normalization of bilateral relations between Armenia and Turkey. Moreover, it was at the initiative of Armenia that a normalization process was launched, resulting in the conclusion of the Zurich protocols in October 2009. Those documents have not been ratified thus far; instead they have been left in some dark drawer in Ankara. The Government of Turkey came up with preposterous preconditions for their ratification that run counter to the letter and spirit of the protocols. I expressed the clear-cut views of the Armenian people on that issue three years ago (see A/69/PV.6), when I spoke from this rostrum. Now the time is ripe for additional explanations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is my duty to express gratitude here to all those countries that displayed honour and responsibility by recognizing, or reiterating their position on, the Armenian genocide. I thank them for that initiative, regardless of the format and language adopted. I thank the numerous countries and individuals, State bodies, regional entities and organizations that called things by their proper names. That is indeed important, since denial paves the way for new crimes of genocide. In that context, we recall that next year the United Nations 18/27 17-29275 family will mark the seventieth anniversary of the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Armenia will propose a new initiative on that occasion, and we invite everyone to join us and support it.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Azerbaijan will recognize and respect the right of the people of Artsakh to decide their own future through the free expression of their will. All available international and domestic mechanisms should guarantee the security of the Armenian population of Artsakh. All remaining issues are collateral in nature and will be resolved in a logical and fair manner in conjunction with the general resolution process. When I last spoke from this rostrum and addressed the process of international recognition of the Armenian genocide (see A/71/PV.17), I considered it my duty to express our gratitude to all those nations, one by one, that had recognized the horrendous crime that was committed against my people by the Ottoman Empire.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The legal status of Artsakh, or, to be more precise, the lack of international legal recognition, is not an impediment to the exercise of the rights of the men and women living there. We strongly believe that there is no alternative to a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Right now, from this rostrum, I reiterate our commitment to that effect. Meanwhile, everyone should be aware that the Nagorno Karabakh issue is a human rights issue, one that can be resolved exclusively through one of the fundamental and inalienable human rights — the people’s right to self-determination. At the end of the day, whatever option for resolving the conflict we arrive at, the Republic of Artsakh should not enjoy a status and liberty inferior to the one it enjoys today.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“For that very reason, I believe that the people of Artsakh should never be excluded from the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. I strongly believe that the unresolved status of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should have no impact on the people of Artsakh as they exercise their rights. It is, first and foremost, about the inalienable rights of any human being, the right to life, to organize public life, to freely form one’s own Government, to communicate unimpededly with the outer world, and about many other rights. Armenia consistently contributes and will contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the Artsakh people and to its sustainable and democratic development. No one has a right to create hindrances to the implementation of initiatives and projects to that effect.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In that regard, I express the views of Armenia, the Artsakh and of all Armenians all over the globe. I bring this message from Yerevan, where the sixth Armenia diaspora conference is currently taking place. Everyone should be aware that for the Artsakh people, who are building democracy, Azerbaijan simply symbolizes medieval backwardness. Azerbaijan has no legal or moral grounds whatsoever to present any claims on Artsakh. Artsakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan, and it is not fair to attempt to annex Artsakh to that State order. Today free Artsakh is an established democratic society. Our shared motto and commitment of leaving no one behind should be the hallmark guiding the work of the United Nations family.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In the course of the military hostilities, the Azerbaijan armed forces committed a number of war crimes against the civilian population and prisoners of war. I find it worth mentioning that one serviceman who committed such atrocities received a high State award, and the President of Azerbaijan personally decorated him in front of the cameras. For years hate speech against Armenians was made part and parcel of the Azerbaijan State policy. It is firmly part of its school curriculums and poisons the upbringing and thinking of its younger generation. For years a number of intergovernmental and other specialized organizations dealing with racism and xenophobia have raised the alarm. All of this leads us to the conclusion that the Artsakh people’s exercise of the right to self-determination is of vital importance.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The policy of the Baku Government culminated in the massacre, ethnic cleansing and mass deportation of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan. Districts with 17-29275 17/27 once-flourishing Armenian populations are now devoid of Armenians, and the Government of Azerbaijan continues with its policy of systematically destroying the vast Armenian cultural and spiritual heritage on the territories under its control. It is obvious that in those circumstances the people of Artsakh have had no other choice than to resort to self-defence. Azerbaijan did not learn any lessons from the perilous war of 1992- 1994, its aftermath and negotiations. Last year in April, Azerbaijan unleashed a four-day war, which proved that Azerbaijan’s objective is to exterminate the people of Artsakh.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We faced numerous challenges, but we withstood them with dignity. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict was the most important and daunting one. This is the fifth time that I speak from this rostrum, and again I need to address the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I would have preferred to talk of peace, progress and cooperation but, unfortunately, we are still far from that stage. Hence, it is my duty to explain why we are so far from that desirable point. The new phase of the Artsakh people’s struggle for self-determination began almost 30 years ago. The Armenians of Artsakh used peaceful calls to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. Azerbaijan has always responded to such calls with the use of force.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I congratulate Mr. Miroslav Lajcák on his election and wish him success in his duties as the President of the General Assembly at its seventy-second session. I also take this opportunity once again to congratulate Mr. António Guterres upon his appointment as Secretary-General. We wish him success in carrying out his important duties. Armenia supports the priorities that Secretary- General Guterres has declared. In 2017, we mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Armenia’s accession to the United Nations. On 2 March 1992, the Armenian tricolour started flying at United Nations Headquarters, the logical and desired outcome of the Armenian people’s quest to exercise their fundamental right to self-determination. Over the years, Armenia became a full-fledged, responsible member of the international community.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We stand ready to invest further efforts in that endeavour, including by hosting intermediate workshops on that topic in our country. To conclude, I would like to join all speakers who have called for joint efforts to combat darkness, atrocities and hatred. No country is too great or too small for that cause. Every single one has a role to play. Armenia stands ready to make its contribution to that joint struggle.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“All that proves that, when there is a political will to bridge disagreements and embrace a spirit of cooperation, solutions can indeed be found to the most complicated issues. From this rostrum, I would like once again to stress the importance of using diplomacy, especially to do away with closed borders. Our neighbours have subjected Armenia to an illegal blockade, and we deem such an improvident policy to be unacceptable, a policy that in the twenty-first century establishes artificial obstacles that disrupt intercultural, human-to-human and trade contacts. In that context, we highly value the periodic reviews carried out under the framework of the United Nations Conferences on Landlocked Developing Countries.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Today it is Germany, Sweden and a few other countries that deserve praise for the humanism that they have displayed. They have provided hundreds of thousands of refugees with safe haven, and have reiterated that that assistance was the right thing to do from both the legal and the humanist perspectives. This year, we all witnessed how joint and adequate actions paved the way to mitigating a difficult international issue. A historic agreement was reached on the nuclear programme of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an immediate neighbour of ours. That critical deal will undoubtedly contribute to the global settlement of conflict situations and the strengthening of mutual trust. Extended and consistent political and diplomatic efforts made the agreement possible.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The Armenian community of Syria, with its centuries-long history, shares and experiences all the hardships that the Syrian people are undergoing in these difficult times. We are trying to aid the refuges to the best of our abilities. Up to now, Armenia has hosted more than 16,000 refugees from Syria. That figure shows that Armenia is one of the leading host countries, together with the European host countries. 2/26 15-29437 29/09/2015 A/70/PV.17 Armenians are well acquainted with the fate of refugees, of the exiled and expelled. The Armenian genocide would have claimed many more lives and the survivors would have gone through much greater hardship if a number of nations, our friends, had not lent us a helping hand in those difficult times.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I think that everyone now understands why Armenia has consistently urged the international community to make statements that are not general, but unambiguous, with regard to the party to whom they are referring during discussions of the ceasefire violations. We must understand that to stifle early-warning signals with regard to threats to peace and security can have catastrophic repercussions. Today, we are witnessing unspeakable barbarity taking place in the Middle East. Religious intolerance has brought irreversible consequences in its wake. We have been most directly affected by the atrocities unfolding there, since they have led to the destruction of parts of Armenia’s spiritual and cultural heritage and its artefacts and to the murder and expulsion of numerous Armenians residing in Iraq and Syria.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“The question that arises is, what is Azerbaijan afraid of? Is it not strange that, during the European Games hosted by Azerbaijan, when the Government needed an image of stability, almost no shooting incidents occurred at the border, while immediately after those Games shooting incidents reoccurred on a prolonged basis? I do not expect members of the Assembly to buy the assertions of any one of the parties, but I still hope that everyone will exercise common sense. Is it not strange that in the twenty-first century our neighbour, day in and day out, relentlessly and indefatigably takes pride in its excessive accumulation of arms and the manifold expansion of its military budget? It stubbornly continues making bellicose threats that it intends to renew military hostilities, and that is done at the highest level, that of the head of State.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Azerbaijan completely disdains the five joint statements issued by the Presidents of the United States of America, Russia and France, as well as the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group. If that country continues its aggressive policy, Armenia will have no other choice but to take the necessary legal, political and military steps to allow the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh to develop in security and peace. Although it is obvious to everybody which party has instigated and continues to instigate the ceasefire violations, I would still like to recall some facts. Is it not strange that, for years now, Azerbaijan has stubbornly refused to withdraw its snipers and establish an incident investigation mechanism, as proposed by the co-Chairs of the Minsk Group?”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Now it requires images from the line of contact in order to divert the attention of its own public. I would like to draw the Assembly’s attention to the fact that Azerbaijan, besides various other provocative actions, has now started to use heavy artillery, firing at the peaceful settlements of the bordering districts of both the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Just a few days ago, in the border area of Armenia, three women fell victim to an Azerbaijani bombardment in their houses and in their gardens, where they were peacefully working. The question that comes to mind is whether any reasonable person can see any valid logic in that cruelty. It is obvious to us that the Azerbaijani leadership has irreversibly lost both its sense of reality and its willingness to abide by the norms of human conduct.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Building further upon that, just a few days ago, the Assembly adopted resolution 69/323, establishing 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime. The peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem remains one of the most salient issues in our region. I must note that the aggressive policy pursued by Azerbaijan has resulted in the absence of any meaningful progress in the negotiations to reach a settlement of the conflict, and the situation has drifted towards increasing tension. The dictatorial regime of that country has used disgraceful repression as an instrument to strangle the people’s wrath, as the oil- based economy obviously falters. Even that policy it now considers to be ineffective.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“In that connection, I thank the legislative bodies of Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as numerous provincial and city councils and hundreds of political and non-governmental organizations. I also thank the Presidents of Russia, France, Cyprus and Serbia, as well as the delegations of numerous other countries that came on 24 April to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide in Yerevan. Our determination to keep the prevention of the crime of genocide on the international agenda is demonstrated by the resolutions that we periodically submit to the Human Rights Council. The latest resolution to that effect was adopted this year.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Last year, on the eve of the centennial of the Armenian genocide, I expressed from this rostrum our gratitude to the nations that had recognized the Armenian genocide, and I named each State individually (see A/69/PV.6). I called upon the international community to strengthen the struggle against the recurrence of the crime of genocide recognizing and condemning its occurrence. Today, from this same rostrum, I would like to thank Pope Francis and to acknowledge the historic mass he served. I also wish to thank the European Parliament and to recall the resolution it adopted. In addition, the well-known statement by the German President will, believe me, henceforth be found in the annals of our nation’s history.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“Many people around the world exercised their right to self- determination and took charge of their own fates by establishing and building independent States of their own, thus increasing the number of United Nations States Members from 51 to today’s 193. Amid all those achievements, we recognize that the world currently faces new challenges, such as terrorism, extremism, intolerance, economic crises, climate change, human trafficking, organ trafficking and trafficking in drugs and arms, a migration crisis and others. The list of those challenges is long. The profound need to struggle against them obliges us to resolutely reiterate our joint commitment to the mission of the Organization and the Charter of the United Nations.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I congratulate you, Mr. President, on your election to the post of President of the General Assembly at its seventieth session. I am confident that, under your able leadership, this jubilee session will meet our many hopes and expectations. I also congratulate all of us on the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. The establishment of the Organization is one of the greatest achievements of humankind, a step that has consolidated nations around its shared aspirations and principles. The past 70 years have been characterized by very important positive developments, namely, an end was put to colonialism, racial discrimination and apartheid.”
2015-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 70 (2015)
“I strongly believe that, through the new post-2015 development agenda, we will continue our efforts to seek solutions and respond to global challenges, in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals. In conclusion, I would like to underline that we have covered a substantial part of the path towards the shaping of the post-2015 development agenda and we will continue our endeavours in that regard, displaying the flexibility necessary to bring the process to its logical conclusion.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The OSCE Minsk Group is the only specialized structure that has been dealing with the Nagorno Karabakh issue according to the mandate granted by the international community. While Azerbaijan knows that it could not possibly deceive or misinform the Minsk Group, which is well aware of the essence of the problem, it attempts to transpose the conflict settlement to other platforms by trying to depict it as a territorial dispute or exploiting the factor of religious solidarity. That is ironic, since Armenia traditionally enjoys very warm relations with the Islamic nations, both in the Arabic-speaking world or, for instance, with our immediate neighbour Iran. We highly value the indispensable role of the United Nations in the adjustment and implementation of the development goals.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The Azerbaijani authorities have failed to implement the fundamental demands of the Security Council resolutions, including abiding by and adhering to the humanitarian norms. Incidentally, Azerbaijan has occasionally gravely violated that demand. Azerbaijan’s cruel and inhumane treatment of Armenian civilian prisoners of war regularly results in their deaths, although I imagine that no one would be surprised about that, since Azerbaijan is the very State that suppresses and exercises the most inhumane treatment of its own people. A clear proof of that was the decision of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to suspend its visit to Azerbaijan due to the obstructions it encountered in the conduct of the official Baku.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Azerbaijan has refused to establish any direct contacts with Nagorno Karabakh, which was a legally equal party to the ceasefire agreement concluded in 1994, as well as a number of other international agreements. Moreover, Azerbaijan preaches hatred towards the people it claims it wants to see as a part of its State. None of the Security Council resolutions identifies Armenia as a conflicting party. Our country is called upon only to continue to exert its influence over the Nagorno Karabakh Armenians in order to put an end to the conflict. Armenia has fully complied, and due to its efforts a ceasefire agreement was concluded in 1994. All Security Council resolutions refer to Nagorno Karabakh as a party to the conflict.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“An adequate interpretation of the Security Council resolutions is not possible without a correct understanding of the hierarchy of the demands set therein. The resolutions, inter alia, request the restoration of economic, transport and energy links in the region and the removal of all obstacles to communications and transportation. It is no secret that Azerbaijan and Turkey imposed a blockade on Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia at the outset of the conflict. In his statements, the Azerbaijani President even takes pride in that fact, promising his public that such action would remain the priority of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. The aforementioned Security Council resolutions call on Azerbaijan to establish direct contacts with Nagorno Karabakh.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Azerbaijan’s own non-compliance with the fundamental demands of the resolutions make their full implementation impossible. The resolutions call on the parties to cease their bombardments and air strikes targeting the peaceful civilian population and to refrain from violating the principles of international humanitarian law. However, Azerbaijan has continued its indiscriminate bombardments of the civilian population. Azerbaijan has not spared children, women or the elderly, thereby gravely violating all legal and moral norms of international humanitarian law. Now Azerbaijan cynically refers to those resolutions selectively — citing them out of context as a prerequisite for the settlement of the conflict.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“It was no coincidence that the right to decide one’s own fate through a referendum is at the core of the proposal put forward by the co-Chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. While discussing the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, I must address the four Security Council resolutions — resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993) — adopted during the war, which every so often are exploited by the Azerbaijani authorities in order to justify their obstructionist policy. Those four resolutions demand, as a matter of priority, the unconditional cessation of all military hostilities. Azerbaijan has failed to comply.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The President of Azerbaijan has designated the entire Armenian nation as enemy number one, and what is considered in the rest of the world to be a crime, in Azerbaijan is considered to be a heroic act. Despite the fact that each conflict is unique, fundamental human rights and freedoms, including peoples’ right to freely express their will and self- determination, continue to evolve as a determinant in their resolution. The vote held a few days ago in Scotland once again proved that nowadays referendums are more and more widely perceived as a legal model for the peaceful settlement of ethnic conflicts.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I strongly believe that our servicemen will fulfil their mission with dignity and a high level of professionalism and will use the extensive experience they have garnered in the last decade in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. It has been more than 20 years that our neighbouring State, through its unconstructive and maximalist stance, has thwarted the international community’s efforts aimed at the just and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The bellicose declarations and various threats made at the highest level in Azerbaijan have been completely tolerated on account of the international community’s failure to correctly assess them.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Armenia has voiced on numerous occasions the need to defend the Armenian population of Syria and the Yazidi population of north-western Iraq, and we are encouraged by the unified stance of the international community in that regard. The maintenance of international peace and security is the essence of our Organization. In recent years, Armenia has consistently consolidated its peacekeeping capabilities thereby preparing ourselves for more proactive engagement in that field. Armenian peacekeepers will very soon be dispatched to the south of Lebanon in the context of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The close collaboration we enjoy with our Italian colleagues enabled our participation in that endeavour.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Two days ago, on Armenia’s independence day, the Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in Dayr Al-Zour, Syria, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide, was mined and blown up by the terrorists. Such barbarity is a criminal demonstration of godlessness, which is in no way or shape related to any faith. The catastrophic situation in Syria and northern Iraq continues to deteriorate, and today hundreds of thousands of people are directly in peril. Among them are tens of thousands of Armenians in Aleppo, Syria. It is one instance to consider in the context of our joint commitment to preventing crimes against humanity.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“In Armenia and Artsakh, ordinary people often simply retort: “To hell with your ratification.” This vernacular phrase summarizes the age-old struggle of the entire nation and unequivocally explains to those who attempt to bargain with others’ homeland that the motherland is sacrosanct and they had better stay away from us with their bargain. It is in these circumstances that, currently, Yerevan is seriously considering the issue of recalling the Armenian-Turkish protocols from Parliament. The tragic events in Syria and Iraq that we are currently witnessing demonstrate how groups whose creed is hatred are targeting religious and national minorities.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“Armenia has never made recognition of the Armenian genocide a condition for the normalization of bilateral relations with Turkey. In fact, Armenia was the party that initiated that process of normalization, which in 2009 culminated in the signing of the Zurich protocols. However, those protocols have been shelved for years now, awaiting ratification in the Turkish Parliament. Ankara has declared publicly that it will ratify the protocols only if Armenians cede Nagorny Karabakh and Artsakh to Azerbaijan.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“I thank the United States of America, the European Union and all those personalities, State bodies, territorial units and organizations in many countries that publicly called things by their proper name. That is indeed extremely important, since denial is an integral part of the crime of genocide. For an entire century now, Armenians around the globe and the entire progressive international community have been waiting for Turkey to show courage and face its own history by recognizing the Armenian genocide, thus relieving future generations of the heavy burden of the past. Alas, instead, we continue to hear ambiguous and messages with ulterior motives, in which the victim and the slaughterer are set on equal footing and history is falsified.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“The 1915 genocide was a crime against civilization and humanity, and its inadequate condemnation paved the way for similar crimes of mass murder in the future. Addressing the Assembly ahead of that 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide from this rostrum, which I would call the podium of honour and responsibility, I declare our profound thanks to Uruguay, France, Russia, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Greece, Slovakia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Canada and the Holy See. We thank them for their recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide, regardless of the form it took or the language used to express it.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are meeting at a symbolically significant time, between the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Seven decades ago, at the end of the Second World War, the United Nations was established. Its mission was to form a new environment for civilization and culture in order to prevent the repetition of the previous tragic events of history. The year 2015 is of particular significance for all Armenians around the world. On 24 April, Armenians around the globe will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the most tragic page in the nation’s history: the Armenian genocide. It was an unprecedented crime, the objective of which was to eliminate the nation and deprive it of its homeland, and it remains an unhealed wound for every Armenian.”
2014-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 69 (2014)
“We are doing and will continue to do our best to make the world a safer and more peaceful place. We stand ready, to the best of our abilities, to contribute to global security and respond to global threats, be it through peacekeeping missions, the elimination of the consequences of natural disasters, environmental protection or the fight against terrorism, racism and intolerance. Over the years, we have proven our aspirations and determination with deeds, and we stand ready to continue doing the same.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“In two decades, the Republic of Armenia has implemented a wide-scale programme of State-building. Much has been done in the fields of democratization, the protection of human rights, economic reform, and the establishment of the rule of law and a liberal economy. We have achieved much, but much remains to be done. Above all, we are convinced that we are on the right path — a path that is irreversible. Exactly a decade ago, New York, the city that is home to the United Nations, experienced one of the worst atrocities in the history of humankind — the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Armenia unconditionally supports and actively contributes to the international community’s counter-terrorism efforts and all the initiatives of the United Nations in this area.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Two days ago, the Republic of Armenia celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its independence. In September 1991, Armenia restored its independence, realizing the dream of the Armenian people and reuniting with the family of nations. In the realm of history, 20 years may seem like a short time, but for the current generation it has served as a time of great change, with the building of independent statehood and a renewed perception of its role and place in the world. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the States, peoples and individuals that have supported us in these 20 years of development and State-building. Freedom, peace and democracy are our choice, and we are committed to this path. We are proud of our achievements today.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The correlation between security and development is not an abstract theory for our region, where economic cooperation and deeper integration with the global economy are hampered by unlawful blockades and the obstruction of regional integration projects. Those attitudes, alongside the fuelling of an arms race, not only pose a danger to the peoples of the region, but also continue to drain the resources direly needed for sustainable development. The time has come for the leaders of the countries of our region to stand above the dictates of narrow political agendas and to move towards solutions aimed at a peaceful and prosperous future for generations to come. I want to believe that, in the not-too-distant future, our region will be perceived as a solid and firm bridge uniting civilizations, rather than as a dividing line.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“Speaking from this rostrum in 2008, I expressed the hope that the Armenia-Turkey normalization process initiated by us, the establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the borders closed by Turkey, in violation of international law, would become the first steps towards the launch of a dialogue to overcome the climate of mistrust, suspicion and uncertainty between us. Although our initiative was commended and widely supported by the international community, Turkey has in all ways possible aborted the ratification and implementation of the protocols we signed in 2009. Today, on the eve of the Rio United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, political will must be exerted to honour the international commitments to convert the South Caucasus into a region of cooperation and prosperity.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“These references to the Armenian genocide lead me to recall another important celebration marked this year: the 150th birthday of Fridtjof Nansen, the first High Commissioner for Refugees. In the most difficult period for my nation, that great humanist rendered priceless support to the survival of the homeland- deprived fragments of the Armenian people who had fled the genocide. Holders of Nansen passports settled in various countries of the world. They rose to their feet and partook in the development of the countries and peoples that offered them refuge. I believe that justice and equal rights between States have become standards in international relations thanks to such powerful individuals, who promoted their vision of morality in the cruel world of realpolitik.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)
“The genocide of the Armenians perpetrated under the Ottoman Empire has been recognized and condemned by numerous countries, parliaments, international organizations and the community of genocide scholars. Unfortunately, the same does not hold true for the Republic of Turkey, which continues to engage in a policy of denying this atrocious crime against humanity. We unequivocally welcome the clear position adopted by the international community in precluding any possibility of immunity or pardon for the perpetrators of genocide and other crimes against humanity. Without recognition and condemnation, it will be impossible to develop and implement effective 11-51185 24 mechanisms of prevention, which is a United Nations priority. Armenia will contribute its utmost to the recognition, punishment and prevention of genocide.”
2011-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 66 (2011)