YouSaid · the spoken record

Mirzoyan

lines on the record: 49
first: 2022-12-14
most recent: 2023-09-21
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-security-council

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

“Finally, let me mention that today, we celebrate the day of independence of the Republic of Armenia. And let me congratulate my compatriots on this very important and symbolic occasion.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Furthermore, we ask the Council to ensure the return of persons displaced in the course of the recent aggression, as well as persons and refugees displaced as a result of the 2020 war, to their homes in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions, under the monitoring and control of the relevant United Nations agencies, as was foreseen in the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020; to ensure the immediate restoration of vital supplies, including food, medicine, fuel, gas and electricity; to demand the immediate restoration of freedom and security of movement of persons, vehicles and cargo, along the Lachin corridor, in line with the orders of the International Court of Justice; to ensure a sustainable international mechanism for dialogue between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and officials in Baku to address the issues related to the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh; to demand the exit of any Azerbaijani military and law- enforcement bodies from all civilian settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh to prevent panic, provocations and escalation endangering the civilian population, until a result has been obtained in the negotiations; to prevent punitive action against Nagorno-Karabakh political and military representatives and personnel; and to create the possibility for a United Nations-mandated peacekeeping force to maintain stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Against that backdrop, time and again, I appeal to the Security Council to demonstrate its credibility and reputation by undertaking the following urgent measures: to condemn the resumption of hostilities and the targeting of civilian settlements and infrastructure; to demand full compliance with obligations under international humanitarian law, including those related to the protection of civilians, in particular women and children, and critical civilian infrastructure; to immediately deploy an inter-agency mission by the United Nations to Nagorno-Karabakh with the aim of monitoring and assessing the human rights, humanitarian and security situation; to ensure unimpeded access of United Nations agencies and other international organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh, in line with humanitarian principles; and to ensure full cooperation of the parties, in good faith, with the International Committee of the Red Cross to address the consequences of the military action, including the removal and identification of bodies, search and rescue for personnel missing in action, the release of prisoners of war and the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance, in strict compliance with international humanitarian law.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“There are no sides to the conflict, but perpetrators and victims. There is no conflict, but a real danger of atrocity crime. Is it still possible to prevent that now? We are here because we believe so. We still believe in humankind, in international law and in the ability of the Security Council to act decisively when the lives of thousands are at stake.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“In that attempt, we clearly see the intention of some actors to involve the Republic of Armenia in military actions, thereby transferring the hostilities to our sovereign territories. The position of Armenia firmly remains the same — we should establish peaceful relations, based on mutual recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which certainly cannot be misinterpreted in any way or used as licence for mass atrocities, including ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The rights and security of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh must be properly addressed and internationally guaranteed. There is also another very important aspect regarding the parties involved. As I noted, some members in their statements still make general calls to the sides of conflict. That approach and that terminology are no longer relevant.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Despite accepting all demands made by the Azerbaijani side to stop the bloodshed and despite the ongoing talks today, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have once again been subjected to attacks through the use of different calibre weapons and mortars, thereby forcing civilians once again to seek shelter in basements. We believe that such attacks and further persecutions will continue unless there is clear international action. By the way, with regard to the demands I just mentioned, I would like to state very clearly and unequivocally that the Republic of Armenia was not part of those discussions, and we resolutely reiterate that the claims and references to the presence of any military personnel of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh do not correspond to reality.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Now, when Azerbaijan has already once again begun to use force against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, when those people are forcefully removed from their homes and are in danger of being forcefully deported from their homeland, when many of them who have been defending their families and their right to live in freedom and dignity in their homeland for the past 30 years are in danger of mass arrests and prosecution, and when we have a situation in which there is no longer the intent, but clear and irrefutable evidence of a policy of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities — the Security Council must act.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“During the days prior to the 19 September Azerbaijani aggression, when Armenia raised the alarm about the foreseeable use of force by Azerbaijan and sought concrete measures and actions to prevent such a scenario, the international community reacted to our warning with scepticism.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“When in April Azerbaijan installed an illegal checkpoint in the Lachin corridor and later started to kidnap people, including those under the protection of international humanitarian law, the international community failed to undertake adequate measures. When Armenia requested once again another emergency Security Council meeting in August 2023 (see S/PV.9397), warning about the fragile security and humanitarian situation and calling on the Council to use its toolbox to address all the issues and not leave the people of Nagorno-Karabakh behind, the Council failed to react adequately.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“The Azerbaijani aggression that unfolded with explicit barbarity and the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and infrastructure was the final act of the tragedy, aimed at the forced exodus of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. When Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin corridor and we requested an emergency Security Council meeting in December 2022 (see S/PV.9228), the Council failed to react adequately. When the International Court of Justice, on 22 February and 6 July 2023, handed down legally binding orders and they were disregarded by Azerbaijan, the Council, the organ whose duty is to ensure the implementation of the Court’s orders, failed to react adequately.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“We have been raising the alarm for a long time now. The international community refused to take it seriously enough. The current aggression has come as the culmination of a 10-month-long blockade of the Lachin corridor and the forced starvation imposed on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The severe shortages of food, medicine, fuel, natural gas, electricity and other essential goods had already brought the vulnerable people of Nagorno-Karabakh to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. One would be naive to think that had not been precisely thought through ever since, or even before, the imposition of the inhumane blockade, with the aim of breaking down the will and ability of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to resist and maintain their lives and livelihoods in their ancestral homeland.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“His 10-year-old brother was killed, and it has not even been possible to remove his body from the village. The other brother was injured. Those are only a few examples, and there are numerous other cases. In the eyes of Azerbaijan, those children are terrorists, and Azerbaijan’s actions, missiles, armoured vehicles, artillery and UAVs were directed against those children and their parents and grandparents. Azerbaijani social media are full of calls to find the missing children and women, to rape and dismember them and feed them to the dogs. Azerbaijani users of social media are sharing on platforms the profiles of Armenian women from Nagorno-Karabakh, betting on who will get to rape those women when they are placed under Azerbaijani custody. This was foreseeable; the clear signs were there.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“The images coming out of Nagorno-Karabakh are truly shocking — women, children and elderly people left without shelter or food, mothers desperately trying to find their lost children and wives crying out of fear that Azerbaijan may imprison their husbands. It is hard to believe that all that is happening not 100 years ago but today, in full view of the international community in the twenty-first century. Social media forums are full of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh searching for their children or relatives. Children have found themselves without warning living in shelters or even on the streets, crying inconsolably and asking their parents to take them home, unable to realize that they no longer have a home to return to. During the shelling, an 8-year-old boy went missing in one of the settlements of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“More than 10,000 persons have been forcibly displaced, including women, children and the elderly, who are living without shelter, food and other means of subsistence. Thousands of families have been separated. Coming on top of the approximately 20,000 displaced persons from the 2020 war, it is clear that there are enormous humanitarian needs on the ground. People are still starving, owing to the severe shortage of food imposed by the ongoing 10-month blockade. The health-care system has been paralysed. Hospitals have no electricity, and there is a critical shortage of medicine. People have even been deprived of the chance of receiving first aid. Without fuel, ambulances cannot operate to take the wounded to hospitals.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Yet they are very preliminary, given the fact that through the targeted attacks against critical infrastructure, such as electricity stations, telephone cables and stations and Internet infrastructure, the members of the population have been completely cut off from one another and deprived of the possibility to report the real-time situation on the ground. Furthermore, Azerbaijani troops control the main roads in Nagorno-Karabakh, which makes it impossible to visit and get information on the ground. To date, it has been confirmed that more than 200 people have been killed and 400 people have been wounded, including women and children among the civilian population, which was also confirmed today by the Azerbaijani Ministry for Foreign Affairs.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“Literally the whole territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert and other cities and settlements came under intense and indiscriminate shelling, with the use of missiles, heavy artillery and combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and aircraft, including prohibited cluster munitions. The intensity and cruelty of the offensive makes it clear that the intention is to finalize the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The outcomes of the large-scale military operation clearly reveal their atrocious nature.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“While the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly is under way and all the members of the international community are gathered here to look for ways to maintain peace and security worldwide, while we all speak about the imperative to condemn the use of force and prevent the further loss of human life caused by man-made disasters, and while each of us comes here to contribute to peace in our respective regions, Azerbaijan unleashed yet another large-scale offensive in the South Caucasus on 19 September against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, in blatant violation of international law and the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“I thank the Security Council for convening this emergency meeting to discuss the security and humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh stemming from the unprovoked and well-planned military attack by Azerbaijan.”
2023-09-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9422 (2023) · source
“One of the most important principles of the United Nations is leaving no one behind, and Edwin, aged four, Anastasia, aged six, Maria, aged seven, David, aged five, Tatev, aged five, Samvel, aged eight, and many others still have the hope that they will not be left behind.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Ocampo: “The blockade of the Lachin corridor by the Azerbaijani security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies and other essentials should be considered a genocide under article II (c) of the Genocide Convention: ‘Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction’. Starvation is the invisible genocide weapon. Without immediate and dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed in a few weeks.” The prevention of such a catastrophe is a core duty of the United Nations and the Council. I believe that this body, in spite of its geopolitical differences, has the capacity to act to prevent genocide and not to commemorate it, when it might be too late. In conclusion, I would like to come back to the very beginning of my statement.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“According to the elected representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh: “This is a deliberately engineered crime, driven by evident genocidal intent. The Azerbaijani authorities purposefully instigated the blockade of the Lachin corridor with the knowledge that it would subject the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh to a gradual demise, yet they chose to persist with this course of action”. At the same time, the report by Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, reflects that a genocide is already happening in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Mr.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“We also expect the Council to call for the immediate restoration of freedom and security pertaining to the movement of persons, vehicles and cargo, in line with previously reached agreements, through the Lachin corridor; to ensure the full cooperation of the parties in good faith with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance; and to dispatch an independent inter-agency needs assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population. Those humanitarian issues clearly need to be resolved with the international community’s strong intervention before the negative consequences result in the ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“We expect the Council to condemn the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, as prohibited by international humanitarian law; to condemn the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and deprivation of the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh of objects indispensable to their survival, including by wilfully impeding relief supply and access for responses to conflict-induced food insecurity; and to demand full compliance with obligations under international humanitarian law, including those related to the protection of civilians, in particular women and children, and critical civilian infrastructure.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“First, it blamed so-called eco-activists with environmental concerns, then it levelled baseless allegations of the transportation of arms through the Lachin corridor and then it cited military provocations, and so on. The Lachin corridor has been agreed as a link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and has no alternative. The Lachin corridor should be opened and, when it comes to other possible communications, that should be addressed through an international mechanism through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue. Therefore, I am here today to seek the Council’s support in addressing issues of a humanitarian nature.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Armenia raised its concerns on the deepening humanitarian crisis as a result of the closure of the Lachin corridor in all negotiations with Azerbaijan, which were separately facilitated and mediated by the United States of America, the European Union and Russia, to no avail. Throughout that time, Azerbaijan’s engagement has been anything but in good faith. Going back to the first discussions on the issue in the Security Council, Azerbaijan has denied any responsibility for its actions and even claimed that it was not controlling the Lachin corridor. Over the past eight months, Azerbaijan has offered a number of pretexts aimed at justifying its actions.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Two children — 3-year-old Leo and 6-year-old Gita — died in Martakert after their mother had to leave them alone to travel on foot to the nearby town with the hope of finding some food for them. In recent months, many Council members have tried to address the issue of opening the Lachin corridor. However, despite all their calls, the commitments undertaken in line with the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and the legally binding orders of the ICJ, the situation on the ground has not improved. On the contrary, Azerbaijan incrementally yet consistently intensified the blockade to the degree of a complete siege of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Throughout the blockade period, there were 710 patients and their accompanying persons evacuated by the ICRC who had to go through a humiliating procedure of proving their health condition in order to obtain permission for evacuation. One was a man with a very concrete name and surname — Vagif Khachatrian, who was abducted at the checkpoint during his transportation by the ICRC to Armenia for heart surgery. He was abducted while under international humanitarian protection. It is certainly not the only incident in which Azerbaijan has intentionally obstructed the work of the ICRC. There was another man with a very concrete name and surname — Karо Hovhannisyan — passed away yesterday. According to the autopsy report, he died because of starvation and lasting malnutrition.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“There are 270 children who are unable to return and reunite with their families in Nagorno-Karabakh. There are 2,000 pregnant women residing in Nagorno-Karabakh who do not have even basic access to health care. There are 9,000 people with disabilities who are deprived of proper medical care. There are 4,700 people with diabetes and 8,450 people with circulatory diseases, all of whom are running out of essential medicine. All those events have doubled the rate of deaths in Nagorno-Karabakh in the past 8 months. Furthermore, the absence of medicine, sanitizers and other hygiene items is giving rise to the risk of epidemics.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Even those people with money are unable to buy anything, as shelves in stores are empty. Women, children and elderly persons stand in long queues in order to be able to buy some bread or fruit and vegetables. Sometimes they must travel dozens of kilometres on foot to reach empty shops and pharmacies. The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh had to issue ration coupons for certain food products, including rice, porridge and sugar. There is a real of threat of hunger. Here are some other figures: there are 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh deprived of the ability to exercise their basic human rights. There are 20,000 elderly people who are unable even to move owing to the absence of public transportation. There are 30,000 children living in Nagorno-Karabakh who are struggling owing to malnutrition and the lack of food.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“On 7 August, a group of United Nations human rights experts — the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities — expressed alarm over the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan and the dire humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, which “has left the population facing acute shortages” and “placed the lives of the residents — especially children, persons with disabilities, older persons, pregnant women and the sick — at significant risk”. To sum up, owing to the blockade, there is no longer any economic activity in Nagorno-Karabakh. Thousands of people are left unemployed, as there is no possibility of paying their salaries.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“On 2 August, the Secretary-General reiterated his deep concern over the challenges related to the freedom of movement along the Lachin corridor, recalling the previous statement on the need to implement the orders of the ICJ, “including the orders issued on 22 February 2023 and reaffirmed on 6 July 2023, related to measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions” (SG/SM/21896). The Secretary-General further expressed particular concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground and called for “urgent steps to facilitate access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need” (ibid.).”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“On 25 July, the ICRC — the only international humanitarian organization that has been operating in Nagorno-Karabakh for more than 30 years — stated: “Despite persistent efforts, the ICRC is not currently able to bring humanitarian assistance to the civilian population through the Lachin corridor or through any other routes.” On 26 July, the Republic of Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy which, even now, remains at the entrance of the Lachin corridor, as the Azerbaijani side denies it access.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“On 15 June, Azerbaijan went further, fully blocking the Lachin corridor by banning any access to Nagorno-Karabakh, even humanitarian access, including for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which could have provided some food, medicine and fuel, among other things. On 6 July 2023, the International Court of Justice reaffirmed its provisional measure of 22 February 2023.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“With limited local sources of electricity to rely on since then, Nagorno-Karabakh has had to implement rolling power outages with only a few hours of energy supply. On 22 February, the International Court of Justice indicated a provisional measure in the ongoing case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), according to which Azerbaijan shall: “take all measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions”. On 23 April, Azerbaijan, in violation of the Court’s decision and the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, installed a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Since December 2022, periodically, and since March 2023, completely — about 180 days in total — Azerbaijan has disrupted the only supply of natural gas to Nagorno-Karabakh. That has already had a number of adverse humanitarian consequences, such as disruptions to the work of hospitals, to the educational process in schools and kindergartens and the work of vitally important institutions and social services, the inability of many to heat their homes by gas and of many households to access hot water, as well as a lack of fuel for vehicles. Since 9 January, more than 210 days now, Azerbaijan has disrupted the supply of electricity through the sole high-voltage line between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“Prior to the blockade, around 90 per cent of all the food consumed was imported from Armenia. With each passing day the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are therefore deprived of 400 tons of essential goods. There is currently a severe lack of food, including nutrition for children and staples such as flour and sugar, as well as medicine and fuel. Moreover, due to the lack of fuel and Azerbaijan’s targeting of workers, almost all agricultural work has halted. As a result, approximately 10,000 hectares of land adjacent to the contact line have remained uncultivated. On 20 December 2022 the Council discussed the issue for the first time (see S/PV.9228), and the great majority of Council members called on Azerbaijan to lift the blockade.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“The people of Nagorno-Karabakh have unfortunately been deprived of that and have found themselves in a situation of total siege. I would now like to present the events, facts and figures that show the current realities in blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh. On 9 November 2020, a trilateral statement was signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan. According to its paragraph 6: “The Lachin corridor (5 kilometres wide), which will provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia […] shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation peacemaking forces.” On 12 December 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin corridor on a fake pretext of environmental concerns. Since then, the gradual exhaustion of the area’s limited domestic stocks has resulted in an acute food shortage and closures of stores.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“But the current humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has the full potential to worsen the prospects for peace in the entire South Caucasus region and beyond. Today I would like to elaborate on that situation, and I ask Council members to make judgments based not on justifications that they may consider to be true or false but on values and facts. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights starts with the recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Regardless of where they live, all human beings are entitled to their human rights and dignity and should be treated with the greatest possible respect and care even in times of war.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“I would like to thank the Security Council for convening this urgent meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh that has resulted from the eight- month-long blockade of the Lachin corridor, the vital road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outer world. I am here today to seek the support of the Council in maintaining the prospect of reaching just and comprehensive peace and stability in our region, which has been seriously undermined by Azerbaijan in the context of the humanitarian calamity on the ground in Nagorno-Karabakh. Over the past two years, with the help of the international community, Armenia has spared no effort to establish peace and stability in our region, and I believe that today we still have the opportunity to reach that aim.”
2023-08-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9397 (2023) · source
“The actions, war- mongering rhetoric and maximalist approach of Azer- baijan’s leaders have seriously jeopardized the chances of reaching peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Based on our own experience, we can argue that without effective multilateralism, our world will be devoid of peace and security. We must therefore all strive to devise better, more efficient ways of working in order to be able to prevent conflicts, genocides and other mass atrocities and focus on peaceful, sustainable development.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“In these conditions, the leadership of Azerbaijan is claiming that it is ready to provide rights and security guarantees for Armenians and that no international mechanism or presence is required. But what is happening right now shows how they actually view those guarantees. Along with Azerbaijan’s refusal to hold a dialogue with Stepanakert on the rights and security of Armenians, Baku’s actions testify to the fact that it is continuing to pursue a genocidal policy towards the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. At the beginning of my statement, I highlighted the importance of fulfilling commitments. With regard both to the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process and the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan has re- fused to meet its own commitments, commitments that were reached in multilateral formats.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“For three days now, Azerbaijan, in gross violation of its international obligations, has been blocking movement through the Lachin corridor — the sole lifeline of Nagorno Karabakh — which is now essentially cut off from Armenia and the outside world. As we speak, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have been deprived of the right to free movement, mothers have been separated from their children and terminally ill people cannot get medical supplies and help. Even worse, in freezing winter conditions, Azerbaijan has severed the gas supply to Nagorno Karabakh. Nagorno Karabakh is facing an imminent threat of a food, energy and overall humanitarian crisis, which, if not addressed urgently, will lead to a catastrophe.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“The Azerbaijani side has continued its manipulations in order to artificially counterbalance the humanitarian issues and turn the return of Armenian prisoners of war into a bargaining chip, which is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the international community. Moreover, the international humanitarian bodies, including those of the United Nations, are still unable to provide much-needed aid to the people of Nagorno Karabakh, essentially abandoning them, in stark contrast with the global pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind. Ironically, access is being denied not just to international humanitarian organizations but to people living in Nagorno Karabakh.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“Armenian sovereign territories have been continually under attack. The last major incident occurred in September, and we requested an emergency meeting of the Council (see S/PV.9132) to assess the situation in full and remain seized of the matter. I regret to say that the security situation has not really seen any significant improvements. Despite the calls of the international community, Azerbaijan continues to keep sovereign territories of Armenia under occupation. We continue to face Azerbaijan’s growing military rhetoric, which is openly threatening our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Two years after military hostilities ceased in Nagorno Karabakh, the issue of the return and repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war remains unresolved.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“The issue of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh still remains to be addressed. The people of Nagorno Karabakh should be able to live in dignity and peace in their own homeland. The decline of multilateralism has also been manifested in the inability of the co-Chairship of the Security Council-mandated Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to fulfil its duties. One of the parties to the conflict has essentially blocked the platform’s activities and has unilaterally declared that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has been resolved by use of force, thereby preventing a potential resolution of the conflict through international mediation. In the face of limited interest on the part of the international community, the security challenges in our region have only grown.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“Strengthening the capacities of the United Nations and the Security Council to prevent and respond to such disturbing challenges is crucial to delivering on the objective of upholding international peace and security. Armenia supports efforts, including the efforts of India, to reform the institutions of multilateralism and make the Security Council more inclusive and effective in responding to the current and emerging challenges and threats to international peace and security. Armenia has witnessed first-hand the effects of multilateralism’s decline. The international community proved unable to prevent Azerbaijan’s unjustified use of force against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, which resulted in thousands of dead and wounded and a new wave of displacement.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“In a world where conflicts regrettably continue to persist, a prohibition of the use of force and strict adherence to the peaceful settlement of conflicts are indispensable to the maintenance of international peace and security. The United Nations must remain resilient in the face of the damaging practices of imposing unilateral solutions and prioritizing violence over peaceful settlements. Attempts to normalize the use of force in inter-State relations or to unleash wars and commit atrocities are incompatible with the core values and objectives of the United Nations and should be unequivocally condemned and rejected at all times.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“If I were to try to define multilateralism in very simplistic terms, I would call it the ability to reach and follow commitments based on compromise and mutual agreement. If we are to find common ground, we must adhere to the universal red lines regarding what cannot be tolerated in a multi-sided approach. And those red lines are reflected above all in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Charter of the United Nations. Today’s important open debate will hopefully serve as food for thought in our shared struggle to maintain and improve the multilateral system for the sake of future generations. Armenia is firmly committed to the multilateralism anchored in the purposes and principles of the Charter, including the non-use or threat of use force and the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source
“It is a great pleasure to take part in today’s discussion in the Security Council and I thank my colleague, India’s Minister for External Affairs, for the invitation. The Indian presidency has chosen a very timely and important topic for this open debate. International relations, as we have known them, appear to be in transition. The global security crisis that we are all living through heavily affects the functioning of the system of multilateralism. Of course, one opinion to the contrary is that the malfunctioning of the multilateral system resulted in the situation we are facing today. The issue is like the story of the chicken and the egg. I therefore believe it is more helpful to concentrate on the question of how multilateralism should be reformed, based on the lessons that we should learn.”
2022-12-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9220 (2022) · source