Statement on "The aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters" as delivered by the Delegation of Armenia at the 1302nd meeting of the Permanent Council

11 February, 2021

Madam Chairperson,

Three months have passed since the signing of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 on ceasefire and cessation of the hostilities unleashed by Azerbaijan with the direct involvement of Turkey and its terrorist affiliates, but the issue of the Armenian prisoners of war and other captives still remains unresolved. To date, Azerbaijan has continued to flout article 8 of the 9 November trilateral statement, which mandates the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees. The Azerbaijani authorities are continuing to abuse and manipulate this purely humanitarian issue. Moreover, statements and speculations coming from Azerbaijan concerning Armenian prisoners of war and other captives give us legitimate and valid cause for concern that we face a hostage‑taking type of situation, as does the intentional misrepresentation of some prisoners of war as terrorists.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s complete disregard for and in some cases even open rejection of its obligations under international humanitarian law would adversely affect the effectiveness of those mechanisms and instruments. Such developments also make clear the need to adapt and strengthen the existing instruments with the aim of enhancing the efficacy of international humanitarian law.

Madam Chairperson,

The Azerbaijani authorities continue to manipulate the highly sensitive issue of prisoners of war and civilian captives for their narrow political goals. Notably, Azerbaijan believes that the prolonged incommunicado detention of Armenian prisoners of war can serve as an instrument for putting additional pressure on the Armenian authorities, forcing them to make concessions. Indeed, each and every agreement on the part of Azerbaijan to return Armenian captives has been followed by new conditions and bargaining.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan continues to conceal the real number of prisoners of war, denying the capture of dozens of Armenian servicemen and civilians. As of today, Azerbaijan has confirmed through a written communication to the International Committee of the Red Cross that it holds 57 captives, including five captives taken prisoner in December and 15 civilians, including women. However, according to our estimates the real number of captives far exceeds this figure. Given the reluctance of Azerbaijani side to co‑operate on this issue, we have particular concerns that the prisoners of war and captives may become victims of slavery and human trafficking.

On 9 February 2021, five more Armenian prisoners of war were repatriated to Armenia with the facilitation and assistance of the Russian peacekeepers. As became known later, the arrangement initially reached stipulated the return of 20 or more people. However, for some unknown reason, the Azerbaijani authorities decided to release only five. In violation of the “all for all” principle of exchange, Azerbaijan arbitrarily decides on the number of prisoners of war to be released, to better serve its aims and goals.

All these facts attest to Azerbaijan’s clear, complete and demonstrative disregard for its international commitments and its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Armenia condemns this pernicious practice of threats, blackmail and hostage‑taking and deplores Azerbaijan’s attempts to instrumentalize this humanitarian issue and turn it into a bargaining tool.

Madam Chairperson,

Equally disturbing is Azerbaijan’s demonstrable lack of co‑operation in the area of preservation of cultural heritage. As a result of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh, a significant part of the Armenian cultural and historical heritage remained in the territories of Nagorno‑Karabakh occupied by Azerbaijan.

According to a report prepared by the Office of the Artsakh Human Rights Defender, at least 1,456 immovable monuments of Armenian history and culture have come under the control of Azerbaijan, including 161 monasteries and churches, 591 cross-stones (Armenian: khachkar), the archaeological excavation sites of Tigranakert, Azokh, Nor Karmiravan, Mirik and Keren, and numerous fortresses, castles, shrines and other monuments. In addition, eight State museums with 19,311 exhibits and a number of private museums have come under the control of Baku.

In an effort to eliminate completely every trace of the Artsakh Armenians’ existence in their homeland, Azerbaijan is consistently destroying cultural, historic and other monuments, not even sparing gravestones. Azerbaijani soldiers do not even shy away from posting photo and video footage of these criminal acts on online platforms that leaves no room at all for doubt that they are operating with total impunity.

In parallel, the State propaganda machine is even now continuing to spread fake and false information calculated to further entrench the already deep‑rooted anti‑Armenian hatred and xenophobia. One recent example is provided by photographs from the occupied city of Mekhakavan (Jabrail) allegedly showing desecrated Azerbaijani graves. However, the pre‑war photographs show that in peacetime the graves were kept intact and preserved.

Along with destruction of the cultural and historical sites, the Azerbaijani authorities have embarked on falsifying the identity of and misappropriating the Armenian religious sites and monuments. In this context, we recall the comments of the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia made in connection with statements of the Azerbaijani President during his meeting with the Director General of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO). The press secretary highlighted that “distortion of the identity of the Armenian heritage is an attempt at ‘cultural robbery’, which is also a gross violation of the relevant international legal documents.”

It is well known that the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities not only took all Islamic monuments and cemeteries under State protection, but also restored mosques at their own expense, whereas Azerbaijan has been pursuing a policy of destroying any Armenian traces on the territory of modern Azerbaijan. The most vivid example of that policy is the complete annihilation of Jugha Necropolis (Nakhijevan), the largest known Armenian cemetery anywhere in the world, and of its medieval khachkars (cross-stones) dating from the fifth to the early seventeenth centuries. In an article on this subject, the Guardian referred to the destruction of Jugha cemetery as a “monumental loss” and “the worst cultural genocide of the 21st century”. And this loss still resonates amongst Armenians in Armenia, Artsakh and around the world.

Undermining the efforts of the international community to preserve the cultural heritage of Artsakh, Azerbaijan continues to create obstacles to access to the region for international professional organizations, primarily UNESCO, accusing them of bias. Instead, for obvious reasons, Azerbaijan is trying to engage organizations whose modus operandi is based on religious solidarity and kinship.

Another issue that has surfaced is the denial to Armenians of access to religious sites, such as monasteries and churches, that came under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of recent aggression, despite assurances provided earlier and agreed special arrangements. Last Sunday, on 7 February, a group of Armenian pilgrims attempted to travel to the monastery complex of Dadivank. In accordance with preliminary arrangements, they were accompanied by Russian peacekeepers. For the information of colleagues, according to tradition, Dadivank was founded by St. Dadi, a disciple of Thaddeus the Apostle, who spread Christianity in Armenia, and is also the burial site of St. Dadi. Moreover, Dadivank is one of the masterpieces of Armenian medieval religious architecture. However, last Sunday, the Armenian pilgrims were denied entry to the monastery complex by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The group also included priests who were to serve in the monastery.

The preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and religious monuments that have come under the control of Azerbaijan should be an important part of the peace process, given the numerous facts of systematic destruction of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the past. In this context, the leadership of Azerbaijan and the State propaganda machine must immediately put an end to the reprehensible policy and practice of appropriation and distortion of the identity of Armenian churches. The appropriation or distortion of the cultural values of the Armenian people does not contribute to regional peace.

Madam Chairperson,

The current situation in Nagorno‑Karabakh is the result of the flagrant violation by Azerbaijan of several core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely, refraining from the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, and equal rights and self‑determination of peoples, not to mention respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Consequently, there should be no illusion that the outcomes of the use of force, accompanied by war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, can ever become the basis for a negotiation process aimed at reaching a lasting and sustainable peace.

Lasting and durable peace in the region can only be achieved through a comprehensive resolution of the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict, which must include the resolution of the issue of the status of Artsakh based on the realization of the right to self‑determination, ensuring the safe and dignified return of the recently displaced population to their homes, and preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the region.

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