Armenia's Permanent Representative Mher Margaryan delivered a tatement at the UNGA Plenary Debate under the Agenda Item 132: The Responsibility to Protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. The statement reads:
Mr. President,
The Responsibility to Protect rests on a fundamental pledge made by the international community to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and to protect vulnerable populations from such crimes.
Within the United Nations, Armenia has been consistently campaigning to reinforce the implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and to advance the prevention agenda.
The International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, which was established upon Armenia’s initiative, has evolved into a platform of dialogue and cooperation to foster prevention of atrocity crimes.
The United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect has a key role to play in advancing international efforts and prevention mechanisms through effective monitoring of grave human rights violations and assessing the risks of potential atrocities.
Mr. President,
While the conceptual debates and deliberations on this agenda item are important and we appreciate the presentation of the Report of the Secretary-General on recognizing and addressing the embedded risks and drivers of atrocity crimes, it is imperative to reflect and address the situations when violations are committed by a perpetrator that is a member state, a UN member-state.
Since 12 December 2022, a vital transportation corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia has been essentially disrupted, leaving a population of 120,000 people cut off from the outside world in conditions of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
The ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor, in violation of the existing legal obligations, and the order of International Court of Justice continues to endanger the lives of innocent civilians, contrary to the fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law, which clearly prohibits the targeting of civilian populations, imposition of collective punishments and the use of starvation as a method of warfare.
On February 22, the International Court of Justice indicated a provisional measure, at the request of Armenia, according to which Azerbaijan “shall take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”. To this date, that country has failed to comply with the legally binding order of the ICJ and continues to impose a medieval, barbaric siege upon the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, in violation of their rights to life, health and an adequate standard of living, as enshrined in numerous international human rights instruments.
This member state would claim that there is no blockade, that the ICJ order regarding Lachin corridor is a matter of interpretation, that humanitarian cargo and ICRC are allowed to operate. While the ICRC, whose operations have been periodically disrupted, has a crucial role in transporting patients and medicines, medical equipment and food, the very fact that only Red Cross has been able to move along the corridor is clear evidence that there is no free and safe access to and from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr. President,
It has been over 6 months now that Armenia appealed to the United Nations to dispatch an interagency mission to assess the humanitarian, security and human rights situation of the affected population in Nagorno-Karabakh, in line with the humanitarian principles. We have also been consistently requesting that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region.
The continued violations of the fundamental human rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and the denial of international humanitarian presence on the ground reveal the intent to inflict maximum harm on the population by creating unbearable conditions for life – a clearly detectable warning sign of a pre-meditated genocidal policy.
At this time of existential threat to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the international community, represented by its most collective institution- the United Nations, has a responsibility to act and to protect.
The international community can no longer look the other way when faced with the clearly detectable warning signs of genocide, when grave and systematic human rights violations are routinely perpetrated. The United Nations, its respective bodies and structures as “duty bearers” have yet to meet their obligations vis-à-vis the “rights holders”, the ordinary people, women, children, the elderly, the most vulnerable, who remain entrapped confronted with the genocidal policies of Azerbaijan.
The latest report of the Secretary-General makes a salient observation that “accountability is vital for the prevention of atrocities. Impunity that is historical in a society or persists across leadership and institutions undermines the rule of law, sows the seeds for future violence and increases the risk of atrocities”. These words cannot be more true in relation to the actions of the neighbouring country when one follows the official narrative and the hate speech emanating from there at all levels.
The international community has a shared responsibility to prevent and protect populations from atrocity crimes and to ensure that grave violations do not go unchecked.
Impunity for violations of the international norms and principles has emboldened Azerbaijan to resort to new provocations and military escalation. Their armed forces continue to violate the ceasefire regime, targeting civilians carrying out agricultural works, as well as border communities, in an attempt to terrorize, inflict psychological pressure and deprive the population of the means of subsistence.
Armenia is fully committed to efforts to effectively address and combat impunity, including through the mechanisms of the international criminal jurisdiction. We also support the process elaboration and adoption of a universally accepted treaty on preventing and punishing of crimes against humanity.
We will continue to work with all international partners and the UN system in order to uphold the principle of the responsibility to protect as a critical framework for preventing atrocities, promoting human rights and upholding peace, security, and justice.
