YouSaid · the spoken record

Vartan OSKANIAN

lines on the record: 121
first: 1999-09-24
most recent: 2007-09-24
sittings or episodes: 8
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

“We thank Jan Kavan for his work, and we welcome Mr. Julian Hunte in the difficult year that awaits him. At the beginning of this millennium, a summit of the world's leaders produced a set of development goals aimed at protecting life and promoting dignity for all peoples. This seemed an appropriate way to begin the third millennium of our modern era. Each year since then, however, we have been reminded that this millennium started very differently and has forced us to address profound challenges to our assumptions, our relationships and our way of life. Beginning with 11 September and continuing with the violence and political crises around the world, each of our societies, nations and regions has been transformed by the intensity of these threats to our way of life and to our security.”
2003-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 58 (2003)
“From the vantage point of a country with our resources and limitations, we realize that peace is not possible without social justice, sustainable development and respect for the rights of all individuals and peoples in the community of nations.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The situation in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and around Iraq remains a continuing example of the need for a vibrant and strengthened United Nations able to assert the will of the Organization's membership and empowered with greater authority to implement its decisions. As States and Governments continue to search for new ways to deal with emerging internal conflicts and increasingly complex interrelationships, Armenia is of the belief that the United Nations must stand for all the easy-to-orate but difficult-to-deliver principles of economic and political justice and equality among peoples. Given our uneven history and problematic geography, it is no surprise that Armenia is an advocate of multilateralism and collective security.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We support all initiatives that reinforce the international consensus behind that landmark treaty. It is becoming clear that this millennium, too, will not be violence-free. Today, when global peace appears a distant hope, Armenia observes the volatility in the Caucasus, the Middle East and elsewhere with trepidation. To face such challenges, Armenia supports proposals by the Secretary-General aimed at the strengthening of the Organization so that it can face new challenges in a more satisfactory way. Additionally, Armenia is in favour of more equitable representation on the Security Council, as well as more transparency in its activities.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate President Kocharian's statement before the General Assembly two years ago with respect to working for the recognition of the Armenian genocide and preventing the repetition of such an atrocity. We extend our profound appreciation to all those Governments, legislatures and international bodies that have recognized the Armenian genocide and pledge our cooperation to all those that are currently in the process of reaffirming the facts of that crime against humanity. As a signatory of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Armenian Government places a high priority on the struggle to prevent future genocide and to stand up against all attempts to deny past genocide.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The people on the ground on all sides have demonstrated their readiness for peace and for political and economic stability. Leaders at the highest level are maintaining the honest dialogue that will chip away at political obstacles. We who are entrusted with transforming those efforts and desires into a just peace must approach our task honestly and responsibly. Let me say that Nagorny-Karabakh has never, ever been a part of independent Azerbaijan. Whether we consider history or geography, whether we adopt a long-term political perspective or face the reality of the facts on the ground, the men, women and children of Nagorny-Karabakh have earned the right to live peacefully on their historic lands.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Today, as the international community speaks of countries' responsibilities under Security Council resolutions, Azerbaijan frivolously makes the same accusation against Armenia, without considering that Armenia has done exactly what the international community expected: it has used its good offices, with the leadership of Nagorny-Karabakh, to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Azerbaijan has a choice: continue with crude delusional manipulation and naive wishful thinking and hope for a return to a historical military and political situation that ended long ago, or join the international community, through the good offices of the Co- Chairmen of the OSCE's Minsk Group, in order to continue in the difficult search for peace.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Since then, some Azerbaijani officials, out of desperation or ignorance, have used every means at their disposal to discredit the initiatives of the international community, looking for ways to artificially link them to the critical issues of the day. After 11 September, the talk of the threat of international terrorism caused Azerbaijan to make accusations that went full circle in damaging its own reputation when, according to Western sources, Azerbaijan's own 10-year-long relationship with terrorists came to the surface and it was demonstrated 8 that Azerbaijan had indeed served as a regional terrorist hub. So that did not work.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“That peace is what the people of Nagorny- Karabakh and the whole region are still waiting for, and one would think that it is also what the leadership of Azerbaijan want. Based on the very hopeful meetings that are taking place between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, we have reasons to be positive. However, having followed the comments that my colleague from Azerbaijan made this morning from this podium, I am not only shocked but also dismayed that he is not keeping pace with the progress being made in the region by the Presidents of both our countries. It has been two years since the meetings at Paris and Key West, where the international community put forth their views on this issue.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“East Timor's coming membership is proof that a blanket rejection of claims to self-determination is invalid and does not take into account the very real fact that such movements are not, by their nature, all alike or even similar. Different struggles for self-determination have evolved in decidedly different ways; therefore, each has to be treated differently. The challenge for the international community continues to be to adopt policies that will contribute to the peaceful solution of each conflict. In order to adopt correct policies, criteria must be established by which to evaluate and judge each case on its own merit, realistically taking into account the real situation on the ground in order to attain lasting peace.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We do not understand why such wise and non-prejudicial approaches or strategies should be denied to Nagorny- Karabakh, where de facto self-rule has already been in place for almost 10 years. Democratization and self-determination become both necessary and inevitable when the formation of a new independent entity takes place inside States that are deficient in democracy and whose respect for human rights and application of United Nations principles is unsatisfactory. Nothing demonstrates that fact more than East Timor's forthcoming membership in this body. So it is with pleasure that we express to that country the heartfelt congratulations of the Armenian Government.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“With that in mind, in 1992, at the Helsinki Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, it was decided that elected and other representatives of Nagorny-Karabakh would be invited to the Minsk Conference, entrusted with determining the final status of Nagorny-Karabakh. Therefore, while elections and democratization do not presume a particular status, self-determination is always more legitimate when accompanied by democratic processes. The international community seems to understand, often welcomes and sometimes assists in electoral democratic processes in areas whose international legal status is still in flux and ostensibly subject to the sovereignty of an existing State.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Indeed, the people of Nagorny-Karabakh deserve to be commended for establishing the rule of law despite continuing adverse social and economic conditions. As the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Co-Chairmen of its Minsk Group continue to work with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorny-Karabakh towards a settlement that will wisely — i.e. with an eye to the realities on the ground — determine Nagorny-Karabakh's final status, it is self-evident that only a democratically elected leadership that enjoys a popular mandate will be able to participate actively and legitimately in the final negotiations that affect the status of its own people.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“In Armenia, we look forward to a year of elections: presidential elections — the fourth held since 7 independence — will be followed by parliamentary elections, which in turn will be followed by a referendum on constitutional reforms. We are proud that we have had a working Constitution for more than seven years, and that that Constitution has seen us through difficult periods without leading to domestic turmoil. Nevertheless, we recognize the need — as in any evolving society — to make some changes in order to reflect more accurately our commitment to becoming a society that respects the rule of law and the rights of individuals. We are equally proud that the Armenians of Nagorny-Karabakh, in the midst of their ongoing struggle for self-determination, have also completed another presidential election cycle.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The past decades of summits and forums on the variety of social and economic ills that face modern societies have amply demonstrated that committed partnerships are necessary for serious progress. At home, Government and civil society must work together to implement the decisions of such forums, but, at the global level, Governments and international agencies must also provide the resources and impetus for their universal agendas. Economic prosperity hinges on internal, regional and international stability. That stability, in turn, depends on cooperation and goodwill. In our region, despite the existence of various conflicts, we continue to be hopeful that democratic processes will create civil societies with responsible leaders committed to the resolution of political issues.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“In Armenia, too, we are focusing on both aspects of development. The Armenian Government's poverty reduction strategy aims to establish an umbrella for the formulation and implementation of sustainable human development strategies in areas damaged by earthquakes and conflict. We shall do that by building domestic capacities for governance and by restoring social services in education and health, agricultural development, reforestation and disaster preparedness. Armenia's response to the very special session on children is the elaboration and implementation of its National Plan of Action for Children. The National Plan of Action sets 10-year goals for the protection of the rights of the child, outlines principal strategies, and establishes indicators and mechanisms for monitoring progress towards the enumerated goals.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“The answer must include a rejection of flagrant injustice and abject poverty. That would go a long way towards alleviating the hopelessness that perpetuates such societal ills. Bearing that in mind, we welcome the targets and timetables adopted to spur action on a wide range of issues at the recently concluded World Summit on Sustainable Development. Critical among those goals is the need to provide and manage water as a basic element of life and a basic requirement for dignified living. Without that, neither economic nor political stability is possible. The other two major United Nations events of this year — the International Conference on Financing for Development and the special Assembly session on children — also demonstrate that social and economic development must be tackled in tandem in order to attain global peace and security.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“We were reeling from the enormity of what terrorism had wrought, even as we sought to understand why it had happened. Millenniums of experience of the devastation of war had not provided us with the tools necessary to understand that new form of combat. Today, a year later, as we persevere with the arduous endeavour to eradicate the affliction, we also continue to search for causes. We distinguish, certainly, between comprehending and concurring, awareness and acquiescence, understanding and justification. At the same time, we recognize that diagnosis does not always result in a cure. We cannot go back to where we were a year ago, either in our assumptions or in our actions. The fundamental question we must all answer is: what is it that we can and cannot, should and should not, do to other human beings?”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“I would like to begin by congratulating you, Sir, on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, and to wish you success in your work. I would also like to thank Mr. Han Seung-soo for having so ably conducted the work of the fifty-sixth session. It is with special pleasure that I welcome the admission of the Swiss Confederation to the United Nations. That we have the pleasure and the opportunity to welcome such a new Member — a long-standing democracy which has only recently chosen to enter this forum — is continuing testimony to the vitality, viability and relevance of this unique body. This time last year, new States and old were thunderstruck by a terror that is still indescribable.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Naipaul and Annan do not reject the failures of the world, but challenge us to address them. We, collectively, could do worse than to follow their example.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“S. Naipaul made that assertion, and this year he was awarded a Nobel Prize, as was Secretary- General Kofi Annan. This choice of recipients provides much food for thought. Neither has been exclusivist; they have both been inclusive, as can be seen in their ability to bring their deep-rooted traditions to bear on the challenges facing our global society. While Naipaul the writer teases and provokes, Annan the diplomat challenges and soothes. They both do so with grace and from positions of strength. They can both afford to be more extreme in their pronouncements, but they are not. The message here is that in this year of dialogue among civilizations, there are successful ways of merging the best of the world’s traditions, even while challenging the world to move forward towards justice and democracy for all.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We support the desire of Germany and Japan to become permanent members of the Security Council. Armenia also attaches great significance to the issue of equitable geographic representation, and hence it supports increased representation for underrepresented regions, especially Asia, Africa, 11 Latin America and the Caribbean. In this regard, Armenia is equally supportive of India’s quest for permanent membership in the Security Council. We believe strongly that any increase in non-permanent membership should also ensure enhanced representation for the Group of Eastern European States through the allocation of one additional non- permanent seat. Modern life has caused upheavals in static societies, and the answer lies not in any particular faith but in healthy, democratic institutions and legislation and viable economic systems. Writer V.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The United Nations did not need 11 September to acknowledge economic development and poverty eradication as strategic battlefields in the war against terrorism. Donor countries can contribute to the success of this war by providing not only military forces, but also greater financial and technical assistance. Such assistance must be coordinated. The new challenges call for the consolidation of existing mechanisms of international dialogue, cooperation and security. The United Nations can make a major contribution to this process, especially if it reflects, in a more equitable manner, the political and economic realities of today’s world. We believe that real reform of the Security Council lies in the expansion of both categories: permanent and non-permanent.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Yet if we, as the victims of genocide, are unwilling to permit our own tragic past to define our actions in the future, we can confidently call on Turkey to do the same, and to join us as equal participants in a dialogue between our two peoples. There is no doubt that the United Nations provides the most overarching and inclusive framework for creating the conditions that make States and peoples prefer peace to war. The United Nations — acting, where possible, with various multilateral and regional organizations — should identify and utilize the comparative advantage and specificity of each institution and each country as a potential fighter, as a potential instrument in the war for peace, and even as a potential victim.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Armenia would like to have normal, good- neighbourly relations with Turkey, and is hopeful that Turkey will establish diplomatic relations with Armenia, open the borders and engage in constructive cooperation. But the obvious must be stated. The memory of the Armenian genocide continues to haunt and obstruct Turkey’s relations with Armenia. However, we are confident that this issue can be addressed between the two Governments, through dialogue. The events of the past two months have reminded Armenians that man is indeed capable of immense, indescribable evil and that mass violence is not a thing of the past.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Justice for the people of Nagorny Karabakh has been at the core of Armenia’s policies and actions, not just because we believe it is right, but also because we believe that, in order to achieve lasting peace, economic cooperation and political development, this conflict will have to be resolved fairly and fully. Azerbaijan’s empty calls for a military solution, which arise from an adherence to old clichés rather than from new realities, are not acceptable among neighbours that are serious about peace. As for our relations with Turkey, in this post- 11 September world, when the cold war has truly and finally ended, where erstwhile adversaries have found reasons to put aside ideology and establish partnerships, perhaps Turkey will put aside preconditions in the interests of regional and world peace.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Azerbaijan’s insistence on inventing numbers, redefining terms, creating history and obfuscating discussion are part of the problem, not the search for a solution. In response to the charges made today by my colleague from Azerbaijan with regard to Armenia and Nagorny Karabakh, let me say the following. Nagorny Karabakh has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan. Whether we consider history or geography, whether we adopt a long-term political perspective or face the reality of the facts on the ground, the men, women and children of Nagorny Karabakh have earned the right to live peacefully on their historic lands. For decades they have been denied that right. Today, a dozen years after the re-eruption of the conflict, the children of Karabakh have completed an entire school career free of alien domination and foreign occupation.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Our region has the wealth, the traditions, 10 the opportunities and the links that can make it flourish and thrive. As far as Armenia’s contribution to peace and stability in the Caucasus is concerned, there are two intertwined issues affecting our relations with two of our neighbours. One is the absence of relations with Turkey, to the west; the other is the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, which affects our relations with Azerbaijan. For the past 10 years, representatives of my Government have, from this podium, affirmed that basic freedoms of thought, belief, conviction, ethics, traditions, values and culture also apply to the men, women and children of Nagorny Karabakh. This lies at the heart of the conflict over Nagorny Karabakh.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We are worried about the stability of our region, because the basic freedoms which are the hallmarks of modern society and which decrease the likelihood of violent social and political solutions are not universally guaranteed in our neighbourhood. Security and peace around the world depend on stability in each region. If we are committed to world peace and security, each of us in our own region must take on the responsibility to address the outstanding issues in a new light, guided by new thinking. It remains for the leaders to abandon the expediency of realpolitik for the efficacy of “justpolitik”. This is nothing that has not been said before, but perhaps in this new environment of searching, our call will not fall on deaf ears.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Worse still, they might be further aggravated if they are ignored and allowed to lie latent while all attention is focused on the immediate danger. In focusing on the hatred of thousands, we do not want to dismiss the frustration and needs of millions, many of whom stand at the brink of war. That is why, even as Armenia has offered unreserved cooperation with the global coalition, signed the United Nations and Council of Europe anti- terrorism conventions, and offered military and strategic assistance, we continue to insist that the fundamental short- and long-term developmental issues facing us also be dealt with.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Just as it is crucial to ensure solidarity in the united battle against the evil of terrorism, a divergence of interpretative opinion or varied agendas should not be construed as lack of solidarity. Just as the coalition leaders are concerned about the effects of terrorism on their countries, peoples, lifestyles and values, Armenia is concerned about how the advent of such terror, and the extended battle against it, will affect our region and our country. The war on terrorism has added a further dimension to our domestic and foreign policy agenda, not narrowed its focus. The economic and political conditions which make ours a volatile region have not gone away. Indeed, they have been exacerbated by the new alliances and priorities.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Our allied approach to the problems and realities that we collectively face requires genuine, radical rethinking. The deep dissatisfaction, injustice, poverty and hopelessness — which do not justify terror but serve to validate it, legitimize it and guard it — must be addressed and eradicated, too. These deep-problems must be replaced by equality, education, social justice, women’s and children’s human rights, civil liberties and democracy. Armenia readily joined the global struggle to eradicate the terrorism network because the success of this effort is as important for us as it is for the coalition leaders. However, Armenia asks that, in our effort and exercise of responsibility, to neutralize this enemy, we be careful about our own definitions and labels.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“It may appear that bilateral and multilateral relations have been fundamentally and involuntarily re-tailored. Yet if this perception becomes more than a natural temporary reaction — if the terrorists succeed in intimidating us, and force us to take actions that are not in our best interests, causing us to abandon principles and agendas — then the terrorists will have succeeded. They will have terrorized their way to setting agendas and determining policies. But just as New Yorkers have vowed continued allegiance to their city and their way of life, the international community, too, must remain true to its structures, traditions and agenda. That is not to say, however, that life has returned to business as usual, or that it can do so. It certainly cannot return to thinking as usual.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Scholars and analysts have attempted to explore and explain that day of terror, its causes and its ramifications. This is a necessary process that, if we are patient, will begin with more questions than answers. Listening will inevitably lead to dialogue, not just this year, but every year. If we are honest, this dialogue will reflect the fact that, although we all see quite plainly that there has been a change, we do not agree on what that change is or how it affects each of us. There are those who believe that the world has been taken off the path of economic globalization and democratization. There are some who insist that the nature and course of international relations has irrevocably changed — that the world order, as it existed, has come crashing down. That may be the inescapable, though illusory, initial reaction.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Let me begin, Sir, by congratulating President Han Seung-soo on his election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I would like also to express our appreciation of and respect for Mr. Harri Holkeri for the professionalism and dedication with which he conducted the previous session. Since the acts of terrorism on 11 September, each of us, as individuals and as leaders responsible for the future of our planet, has been trying to understand what happened — why and how. The universal condemnation of the arrogance and fascist mentality 9 that conceives and implements such terror could not have been more justified. The immediate determination that the perpetrators must be punished and their bases eliminated was necessary and prudent. The awareness that this is a long and complex process remains evident.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“With the proposed expansion of the Security Council, that strategic body will become more representative, and its decisions will be endowed with greater authority. May the twenty-first century be the one that sees all nations united in shared goals and collective action.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We would like to think of the day when Karabakh is transformed from being a chasm separating our countries into a bridge built for the benefit of all the populations concerned. The political document adopted by the Millennium Summit sets the guidelines for the development of the United Nations in the coming years. Armenia is confident that this Organization, given its outstanding role and track record, has the capacity to address the new challenges in a most satisfactory manner. The vast experience accumulated over the last five decades can be successfully applied to secure peace and stability all over the world. However, in response to today's new challenges and new demands, United Nations reforms must be carried through to strengthen this dynamic organization.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“If I may be allowed a truism, we should think along the lines of “form follows function”. The function of the probable solutions that must emerge, as well as the broad outline of an eventual peace agreement, must rely, we believe, on devices or principles that are tailor-made, highly specific and perhaps even unique. Without that kind of customization, we believe that generic, standard-issue formulas will not be well-suited to the resolution of the conflict in which we find ourselves at this moment deeply involved, and whose long-term outcome is of great concern to us. For us, peace in Nagorny Karabakh represents, of course, the promise of transforming a situation of hostility and confrontation with our neighbour, Azerbaijan, into one of cooperation and mutually reinforced security.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Yet no attempt is being made to address this new challenge in a more effective, meaningful and realistic way. Each conflict must ultimately be addressed on its own terms, and through the actions and the accommodations of its own peoples and its political leaders. What the international community can do is provide not only the support and the potential incentives for this process of transformation, but also the intellectual, conceptual models for exploring appropriate and suitable arrangements for the resolution of seemingly intractable conflicts. We believe that in designing appropriate frameworks within which hostile parties can find a common language, reassurances may be designed in a flexible manner which must be specifically geared to addressing particular types of conflicts.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“During the last six years, the military phase of the conflict has ceased, and Armenia remains committed to a lasting resolution that will provide for peace and security for Nagorny Karabakh, with a continuous geographical link with Armenia. We will continue to work intensely with the co-chairs of the Minsk Group and wish to underscore their contribution to maintaining the ceasefire regime. With equal fervour, we are ready to maintain direct contacts with Azerbaijan in order to search for compromise. However, we think that direct negotiations between Azerbaijan and Nagorny Karabakh would be more productive, as it is the people of Karabakh who will ultimately determine their own destiny and future. 12 In his report the Secretary-General rightly stated that today more wars are being fought within States than between them.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In Nagorny Karabakh, there was both colonial domination by the Soviets and foreign occupation by Azerbaijan, which was illegally and unjustly given jurisdiction over the Armenian region in 1923. For a people whose compatriots lay just over the border, but out of reach, such a divisive act and the ensuing double layer of subjugation was untenable. During the decades of Soviet rule and then after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Armenians of Nagorny Karabakh resorted to demanding their right to self-determination, the refusal of which led to military conflict, refugees and loss of life.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“France and Germany, England and France, the United States and Japan, in order to transcend their histories of conflict, war and hatred, had to transcend the past together. Indeed, many nations have founded their spiritual and moral resurrection on exorcising their guilt, on the search for validation through truth, on facing their own past squarely. Redemption and reconciliation without truth will remain forever elusive. The Millennium Summit Declaration addressed a topic that is very important in relation to Armenians' right to freedom from fear. The Millennium Declaration provided for the right to self-determination of peoples who remain under colonial domination and foreign occupation.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Although Armenia, from day one of its independence, opted for the normalization of relations and the establishment of diplomatic ties, Turkey insisted and continues to insist on certain conditions related to Nagorny Karabakh and the recognition of the Armenian genocide. Ten days ago at the Summit, from this podium President Kocharian addressed this issue and extended a hand to our neighbour in order that we might together find a way to live with the truth of the past without jeopardizing the promise of the future. Unfortunately, Turkey's response indicated that it continues to let the fear of history limit its freedom to act. However, there is no national history in a vacuum.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We were the first to propose, last year at the OSCE Istanbul Summit, the beginning of a process towards comprehensive regional security leading to a stability pact for the region. Armenia has adopted and will abide by its policy of complementarity, conducting relations with all countries which have political or economic interests in the Caucasus. This approach has worked quite effectively over the past several years and we believe that it has contributed to the reduction of polarization and tension in the region. However, the region continues to remain adversely affected by the lack of formal relations between Armenia and our neighbour, Turkey.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We recognize and welcome the constructive role that the United Nations and other international organizations — such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and the Commonwealth of Independent States — can and must play to consolidate this regional equilibrium. Armenia intends to expand its cooperation within those organizations and more actively to participate in various regional institutions. These diverse bodies, however, must not, by the uneven or inconsistent application of their principles, exacerbate existing regional disparities. Armenia is confident that the Caucasus is in need of a regional system for stability and security and we stand ready to work towards its formation.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Regional and subregional integration has become politically and economically expedient. This is especially true in the Caucasus, which is emerging as a region for competing political and economic interests. We look at our security not only in a bilateral, but also in the broader regional European context. We are convinced that, in the long run, our national security must be anchored in regional stability. We are confident that economic cooperation will help us transcend political problems and facilitate the resolution of political issues. A stable and democratic Caucasus is a work in progress. Still, the promise of democracy in the region must not shroud the fragility of the emergent equilibrium.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“During the nine years since the establishment of Armenia's independence, we have made great strides in anchoring democratic values, the rule of law and respect for human rights in our society. This year, with Armenia's membership in the Council of Europe, these processes will become irreversible. The responsibilities associated with membership will strengthen and reinforce all that has been achieved to date. Economic prosperity also hinges on regional stability. At the same time, long-term peace, security and prosperity in our region depend on its equitable economic development and the development of multifaceted economic arrangements among countries and regional organizations. It is apparent that the new environment of coexistence requires new approaches from international organizations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We have already taken concrete steps towards bolstering the development of information technology and telecommunications and, together with foreign investors, have begun preliminary work towards an information technology industrial park on the outskirts of the capital. At the same time, well aware that Armenia's educational system must be up to matching this call for infusing the existing intellectual capacity and talent with new skills, we will ensure that education curriculums include computer literacy and Internet familiarity. By 2005, all our schools will have computer capabilities with unlimited Internet access. Freedom from want and freedom from fear go hand in hand. Without a free, democratic, open system at home and peace and security in our neighbourhood, it is not possible to achieve economic prosperity.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The major task of Governments around the world today is the pursuit of sound policies and appropriate structural adjustments to meet the challenges that globalization presents and to take advantage of the opportunities it offers without falling victim to the hazards it threatens. At the same time, the revolution in communication and information technologies has opened up the global market to new players. Information technology and the Internet have become the moving engines for economic growth and, at the same time, if used appropriately, its great equalizers. They hold the promise of unlimited progress and allow even small and landlocked countries to take advantage of global access in almost every area of their lives. Armenia is fully cognizant of this and has made information technology development the axis of its economic growth.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Armenia is cognizant of its own responsibility and is committed to doing its part to enhance regional peace and security and to elevate the quality of life of everyone involved. The Secretary-General's millennium report groups our global challenges under three blunt headings: freedom from want, freedom from fear and the freedom of future generations to sustain their lives on this planet. Globalization is expected to drive economic development around the world in order to allow future generations to sustain their lives and to make possible the kind of economic self-sufficiency we all want for our peoples.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)