The Time for Peace Has Come: Ararat Mirzoyan

I am here to express my strong solidarity with this agenda and with each of you individually, my solidarity as a minister, as a human being, my solidarity as a man.

As we approach the 25th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, we are facing a complex paradox. There exists a robust international framework that recognizes both the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and their irreplaceable role in establishing peace. However, the gap between principle and practice remains significant and, unfortunately, is growing day by day.

Today, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this during the opening ceremony of the 4th Ministerial Conference on Feminist Diplomacy. “For Armenia, the theme of our gathering, ‘The Time for Peace Has Come,’ holds profound meaning. Peace has been established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending a protracted conflict that was marked by bloodshed, violence, human losses, displacement, and deep trauma. Both countries are now working to institutionalize peace and regulate their relations by embarking on the difficult path of reconciliation,” Mirzoyan added.

The Foreign Minister noted, “Thus, I come from a region where mothers, women, sisters, and daughters have suffered and felt the heavy consequences of conflict and the pain of losing their loved ones. It is both challenging and emotional to speak about their significant role in promoting the idea of regional reconciliation in our society. Emotional because each of us is aware of the difficulties they have endured. Challenging because through the current peace agenda, we strive to address and prevent such hardships and losses in the future.”