Azerbaijan’s aggressive, criminal actions are aimed at destroying an entire ethnic group, in whole or in part. This was stated by Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Mher Margaryan, during a discussion held at the UN Security Council on April 24.
“Azerbaijan, Armenia’s neighbour, which is several times larger in size and resources, engages in the illegal practice of acquiring territories by force,” he said.
In his speech, Mher Margaryan recalled that in 2020, contrary to the provisions of the UN Charter, Azerbaijan unleashed a wave of deadly violence in the region, attempting to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force.
“The reality is that Azerbaijan exploited the vulnerabilities of the international order and the shortcomings of the multilateral system to launch a large-scale military attack, carried out in gross violation of international humanitarian law, accompanied by numerous atrocities, including against the civilian population,” he declared.
He recalled that since December 12, 2022, the 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have been in the status of hostages, as Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world.
Moreover, Azerbaijan has also failed to comply with the International Court of Justice’s February 22 ruling, according to which Azerbaijan must “take all measures at its disposal to ensure the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
“Despite the presence of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent on the ground, in accordance with the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement, the corridor not only continues to be non-operational for already 4 months, but as of yesterday, an Azerbaijani checkpoint has been installed, in the grossest violation of the commitments undertaken under the trilateral statement and the ICJ order,” he said.
He recalled that the Armenian side has warned the UN and the Security Council that the alarming situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to turning into a humanitarian disaster. Two and a half years after the ceasefire was established, the UN and its humanitarian agencies, according to Margaryan, have still not provided the necessary assistance to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The patrons of such programmes in Azerbaijan, as well as their creators, must nevertheless bear in mind that no distorted history or corruption and manipulations with energy resources can change the fact that there is no statute of limitations for certain categories of crimes. Those who commit crimes and such serious violations must bear responsibility, including through mechanisms of international jurisdiction,” he said.
Mher Margaryan also touched upon the fact of the Armenian Genocide.
Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN stated that the Armenian Genocide is a vivid reminder of how much humanity can degenerate under conditions of a crisis of the international order.
“The Armenian people, who went through the horrors of unspeakable atrocities committed under the cover of the First World War, displayed selfless courage and enormous sacrifice during the Second World War, paying a disproportionately high human price as a small nation,” Margaryan said in his speech, recalling that nearly six hundred thousand Armenians participated in the war, more than half of whom did not return from the battlefield.
