Azerbaijan's Leadership Has Not Hidden Its Goal to Erase Armenian Trace From Artsakh: Foreign Minister

The Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazyan delivered a speech at a high-level online meeting of the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council. He notably stated, "Allow me to join previous speakers in congratulating Ambassador Nazhat Shamim Khan on her election as President of the Human Rights Council and wish her success in this important mission. The fact that this body continues its work and carries out its mandate under unprecedented humanitarian crises underscores the central role of human rights protection, which is one of the key achievements of multilateralism.

During its first year of full membership in the Human Rights Council, Armenia ensured targeted and constructive engagement, expressing its principled stance on preventing genocide and an unwavering position against impunity for this heinous crime. Armenia has worked on strengthening mechanisms for the protection of forcibly displaced populations, religious and ethnic groups, and their cultural heritage, as well as combating hate speech and hate crimes.

It is particularly inspiring that the two-year resolution on the prevention of genocide, initiated by my country, has received broad inter-regional support and has been adopted by consensus. The evolutionary development of this resolution arises from the urgent need to address several challenges, such as serious and blatant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, entrenched manifestations of discrimination, neglect of the protection of groups based on ethnic, racial, national, or religious origins, hate speech, incitement to violence and its justification, biased treatment, and denial of past crimes.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented severe challenges. It undermined the foundations of health, economic, and social protection systems. Fully aware of the extreme vulnerability of people living in conflict zones, Armenia was one of the first countries to unconditionally support the call by the Secretary-General for a global ceasefire during the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Madam President, unfortunately, Azerbaijan not only ignored the Secretary-General's call and therefore Security Council Resolution 2532 but also, exploiting the pandemic situation, unleashed large-scale military aggression against the people of Artsakh. The leadership of Azerbaijan has not hidden its goal to eradicate the Armenian trace from Artsakh, and it has perpetrated mass atrocities against Armenians with the direct involvement of foreign mercenaries, facilitated by Turkey. Thus, the horrors of the Genocide perpetrated against Armenians at the beginning of the last century are repeated in our region in the form of other manifestations of mass atrocities, incited and abetted by the same perpetrator.

The use of force to suppress the right to self-determination is a gross violation of the UN Charter, which clearly states that all international disputes should be resolved peacefully. Even more condemnable is the brutal attempt to suppress the human rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, including their right to self-determination, using mercenaries and foreign armed terrorists, which has been recognized by international actors, including the special procedures of this esteemed body.

During the 44-day military operations accompanied by gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the Azerbaijani army committed horrendous crimes and atrocities, deliberately and systematically targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, maternity wards, markets, roads, communication systems, and other institutions. It desecrated and destroyed Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territory of Artsakh, including churches, khachkars, and other monuments.

The significant damage to the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, Artsakh, as a crucial component of Armenian identity, resulting from two Azerbaijani airstrikes, represents a premeditated attack against the historical symbol of Artsakh’s cultural and religious heritage. This gross violation of international law is a continuation of Azerbaijan's policy of annihilating Armenian cultural memory, aimed at the depopulation of Artsakh and the destruction of the Armenian cultural presence there.

Madam President, the retribution against the captured Armenian civilians by the Azerbaijani forces in the Hadrut region is one of the most chilling episodes of the war unleashed against the people of Artsakh, which has already been classified as a potential war crime by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Unfortunately, the aggression against Artsakh demonstrated that the UN’s early warning mechanisms are ineffective, indicating the need for continued efforts to improve them, including within the framework of the Human Rights Council's reform process.

The absence of the UN in Artsakh has been one of the factors contributing to the lack of international protection. Armenia is fully convinced that the accessibility of humanitarian assistance to Artsakh must be free from political influence and emphasizes the importance of universal realization and protection of human rights for all, regardless of their status of residence.

One of the peculiarities of this war was that Azerbaijan extensively used social media platforms to terrorize the Armenian population. Under the direction of senior leadership, Azerbaijani officials and military forces disseminated videos on social media platforms confirming the humiliating, inhumane, and brutal treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages, including degradation, physical violence, mutilations, as well as beheadings characteristic of the modus operandi of the Islamic State.

Perpetrators of war crimes, who publicly boast about beheading Armenians, were awarded high state honors in Azerbaijan, including titles of national heroes. In this context, it is deeply concerning that nearly four months after signing the trilateral ceasefire statement on November 9, 2020, Armenian prisoners of war and hostages are still held captive. This signifies that Azerbaijan has not fulfilled its commitment to return all prisoners of war and hostages and continues to detain a portion of them.

The immediate return of prisoners of war and civilians, including women, is an extremely urgent issue that requires immediate resolution.

Madam President, taking this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the countries and organizations that have spared no effort both during and after the war in providing humanitarian assistance to Artsakh and also invested their full diplomatic and political potential for a resolution to the issue. The demand for justice and peace by the people of Artsakh must be addressed immediately, as those who have fought for their right to live, for their right to determine their future free from coercion and occupation, are today facing an existential threat on the land of their ancestors. Thank you.