Zohrab Mnatsakanyan Meets with ICRC Director Peter Maurer in Geneva

On October 30, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Peter Maurer, the Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Geneva. This information was reported by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting focused on the situation created by the wide-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in the conflict zone of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Minister Mnatsakanyan provided Mr. Maurer with detailed information regarding the war crimes committed by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh and the gross violations of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.

He acquainted his interlocutor with the facts of Azerbaijan's armed forces deliberately targeting the civilian population and infrastructure in Artsakh, the damages caused, the use of weaponry prohibited by international conventions against them, as well as the degrading treatment of Artsakh's civilian population and prisoners of war, including torture and killings.

The Minister emphasized that human rights and their protection are universal, irrespective of the status of a territory, and any other comment regarding this issue is categorically unacceptable.

Addressing Turkey's destabilizing policies in the South Caucasus and its aspirations to turn the region into a hub of terrorism, the Foreign Minister stressed that Turkey's direct military involvement in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, along with the importation of foreign militant terrorists from the Middle East, poses a serious threat to regional and international security.

Both parties underscored the necessity of implementing the agreements reached on October 10, October 17, and October 25 regarding an immediate ceasefire, as well as addressing the conflict through peaceful means within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

The ICRC President underscored the importance of diplomatic efforts aimed at implementing the ceasefire agreement and executing the arrangements concerning the collection and exchange of the bodies of the deceased.