Armenia’s Foreign Ministry to Raise Issue of Azerbaijan's Non-Compliance with International Court's Ruling at the UN

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working to raise the issue of Azerbaijan's non-compliance with the International Court of Justice's ruling regarding the blockade of the Lachin corridor at the UN Security Council. This was stated by Armenia's representative on international legal issues, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs.

“Unfortunately, we are confronted with the reality that Azerbaijan is completely ignoring the ruling. Not only is it disregarding it, but it is also trying to distort the content of the decision at both the highest official level and lower official levels. This was also recently expressed in a letter from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister addressed to the UN Secretary-General, to which our Minister has also responded with a letter,” Kirakosyan said.

Kirakosyan emphasized that there have been attempts to present the court’s interim decisions or the decisions regarding the implementation of temporary measures to the Security Council, but these efforts have not been particularly successful. The cases concerned a permanent member, and as a rule, that member has exercised its veto power, and the issue has not been subjected to final discussion in the Security Council.

“In our case, I think it is necessary to work in that direction. I know that our colleagues at the Foreign Ministry are already working on this. It is very important that the issue is brought to the agenda of the Security Council. And we must utilize all diplomatic channels as much as possible to work in that direction,” the Armenian representative on international legal issues stated.

Kirakosyan noted that the non-implementation of this decision creates risks for international peace and security. It is evident that the failure to execute the court's ruling, meaning the continuation of the blockade, poses serious risks to international security in the region. Armenia has at least two avenues to raise this issue in the UN Security Council. The first is a formal perspective; Article 94 of the UN Charter grants such authority to the Security Council. The second perspective is the 7th chapter of the UN Charter, which endows it with the authority to ensure international peace and security.