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 1309th meeting of the Permanent Council

15 April, 2021

Madam Chairperson,

Five months after the signing of the trilateral statement on a ceasefire – which effectively ceased the military hostilities in the Second Karabakh War, waged by Azerbaijan with the direct support and involvement of Turkey and Turkish‑backed foreign terrorist fighters – the situation in the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict zone remains fragile and unstable. This is primarily due to the ever-increasing discrepancy between the words and actions of the Azerbaijani authorities. Thus, there has of late been a marked rise in the frequency of military exercises conducted by Azerbaijan: four such exercises of various scales have taken place over these past five months, including some held jointly with Turkey. When considered against the backdrop of the continuing manifestations of hatred and intolerance towards Armenians, in which the level of animosity keeps reaching ever new heights, the statements by the Azerbaijani side about peace and reconciliation can only be described as empty and hollow, to say the least.

Madam Chairperson,

The ongoing incommunicado detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages; the systematic and relentless destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage; the fanaticism and aggressive rhetoric on display by high-ranking Azerbaijani officials and, above all, by the President of that country who are seeking to dehumanize Armenians – all these tendencies clearly testify to the continuation of the racist and hostile State policy of Azerbaijan, which the Armenians of Artsakh have experienced at first hand. This bellicose posturing, inspired by racial and ethnic hatred towards Armenia and the Armenians, recently manifested itself in the inauguration of the so‑called Military Trophy Park in Baku – a kind of “hall of fame” glorifying Azerbaijan’s aggression, which on social networks has very aptly been dubbed a “Disneyland of Hate”.

The Armenian delegation deplores this display of intolerance and disrespect towards the memory of the victims of the war of aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and its people. In particular, it condemns in the strongest terms the scenes showing wounded and dying Armenian soldiers, as well as prisoners of war, especially in view of the refusal by the Azerbaijani authorities to release these prisoners along with other captives, including civilians, as stipulated by the trilateral statement signed on 9 November 2020. Such actions violate the rights and dignity of the families of the soldiers who were killed or wounded or went missing in action.

This macabre celebration of death is reminiscent of Nazi propaganda and demonization during the Third Reich, when racial and xenophobic hatred directed against an entire people became the norm throughout the educational system, from kindergarten to university – when even the arts were co‑opted to serve that policy of hatred.

Needless to say, this extreme manifestation of hatred and intolerance in Baku is fraught with new hate crimes and must be condemned and denounced loudly by all those who uphold the values of human rights and dignity – not least by relevant international organizations and institutions, including the OSCE, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Co‑Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

This is not about politics: it is a purely civilizational choice. The choice between, on the one hand, upholding the values and civilizational ethos salvaged by the international community from the great tragedies of the twentieth century and, on the other, going down the path that leads back to the barbaric hatred and violence of the Dark Ages.

Madam Chairperson,

It is not surprising that against this background we are seeing an increase in incidents and provocations involving members of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the throwing of stones at passing vehicles with Armenian number plates. Recently, a minivan carrying the remains of fallen Armenian soldiers became the target of such an attack. In addition, on 10 April, the Azerbaijani armed forces fired machine guns at two farmers in the village of Sarushen who were working in their fields.

As a result of the war and the occupation of the territory of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, we have witnessed a fresh wave of cultural genocide and vandalism by the Azerbaijani authorities. Within the last ten days or so, various monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, a monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and several Armenian churches have been demolished, desecrated and destroyed.

The long list of Azerbaijan’s violations of international humanitarian law and of the trilateral ceasefire statement signed on 9 November 2020 recently grew even longer. For in addition to the war crimes and violations related to the unlawful incommunicado detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, and the inhuman and degrading treatment of these detainees, Azerbaijan is currently engaged in the demolition of houses and other property in the occupied territories of Artsakh. It is beyond any doubt that through such carefully planned criminal actions, Azerbaijan is seeking to rule out any possibility of the safe and dignified return of Armenian internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes, thereby also violating the seventh provision of the aforementioned trilateral statement, which stipulates: “Internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno‑Karabakh and adjacent areas under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.”

Madam Chairperson,

The Armenian delegation would also like to draw the Permanent Council’s attention to the pronouncements made by the “hereditary president” of Azerbaijan in his speech at the recent informal summit of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States. In that speech, which was addressed to the societies of Turkic‑speaking and Muslim countries and was replete with anti‑Armenian sentiments, President Aliyev deliberately introduced ethnic and religious elements into the Nagorno Karabakh‑Azerbaijan conflict in an attempt to rally the Turkic and Muslim worlds in support of Azerbaijan’s aspirations. By shifting the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict and Armenophobia into the dimension of pan‑Turkism and pan‑Islamism, the President of Azerbaijan has imbued a great deal of radicalism into these ideologies.

Madam Chairperson,

The current situation in Nagorno‑Karabakh is the result of a 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; equal rights and self‑determination of peoples; and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. should be no illusion that the results of the use of force, accompanied by war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, can ever become the basis for a lasting and sustainable peace. Such a peace can only be achieved in the region through a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict, which must include determining the status of Artsakh on the basis of the realization by the people of Artsakh of their inalienable 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.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications