Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on a working visit to Egypt on 7-9 March, delivered a speech at the 159th session of the League of Arab States at ministerial level. In his speech, Mirzoyan addressed Armenia’s relations with Arab countries and the situation created around Mountainous Karabakh. We present excerpts from the speech below.
“In our region, Armenia is conducting negotiations with Azerbaijan, discussing issues of regulating relations between the two countries with the aim of establishing peace in the region.
In a brief speech, I do not wish to burden you with details of the large-scale aggressions (attacks) against the people of Mountainous Karabakh and the sovereign territory of Armenia. I also do not want you to find yourselves in the realm of mutual accusations and disputes. Instead, I will present the overall picture of the entire process.
I wish to emphasise that Armenia rejects the use of force or the threat of force and tries to negotiate with its neighbours from constructive positions and remains committed to finding just solutions to all unresolved issues through diplomacy. In response to our sincere efforts, Azerbaijan continues its hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric, as well as its aggressive and maximalist actions.
In this regard, I wish to address the latest developments. As you know, for more than two months now, the only road connecting Mountainous Karabakh to the outside world — the Lachin corridor — has been illegally blocked by a so-called group of eco-activists (environmentalists), which is obviously organised by the Azerbaijani government. Moreover, Azerbaijan periodically disrupts the supply of electricity (electric power) and gas to Mountainous Karabakh, as a result of which the Armenians of Mountainous Karabakh have found themselves on the brink of a humanitarian (humanitarian) disaster. Instead of conducting negotiations with the local authorities over the rights and security guarantees of the Armenians of Mountainous Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s highest leadership calls on the Armenians of Artsakh to leave their homes, with the aim of depriving them of their homeland and putting into effect its policy of ethnic (tribal) cleansing.
In the context of the blockade of the Lachin corridor, I want to emphasise that on 22 February of this year, the International Court of Justice issued a legally binding decision regarding the application of an urgent measure against Azerbaijan. By the said decision, the Court established that there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm to the rights of Armenians and obliged Azerbaijan to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of persons, vehicles (transport) and cargo through the Lachin corridor in both directions.
Honourable Ministers,
Unfortunately, our neighbour Azerbaijan continuously manipulates (distorts) the issues of regulating Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and the Mountainous Karabakh problem on various international platforms, particularly in organisations where Armenia is not represented, such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement, trying to give them a religious hue and exploiting the sensitive ideology of Islamic solidarity. We expect that such attempts will be rejected and will not draw our friendly Arab countries into the field of religious discord. We must prevent any further attempt to impart a religious hue to problems of an exclusively political and humanitarian nature.
And once again, on this platform of the League of Arab States, I emphasise that Armenia attaches great importance to relations with the Arab states and reaffirms our readiness to expand the prospects of cooperation with each of your countries.”
