Statement in response to the Presentations by the Chairs of the Three Committees: the Security Committee, the Economic and Environmental Committee, and the Human Dimension Committee as delivered by the Delegation of Armenia at the 1469th PC meeting

18 April, 2024

Mr. Chairperson,

We would like to warmly welcome the Chairs of the three committees Ambassadors Anne-Marie Callan, Florian Raunig and Peter Burian and congratulate them on assumption of their responsible tasks. Our appreciation goes to the previous Security Committee Chair Ambassador Stelian Stoian for his efforts and dedication in leading the work of the Committees.

Three Committees are essential in promoting thematic discussions on three dimensions of security. Without dismissing the value of discussing cross-dimensional issues in the Committees, we would like to stress the advisability of focused discussions in each dimension.

That being said, let me present my delegation's views on the work plans of the three committees.

We see strong merit in keeping high on the agenda of the Security Committee the discussions on transnational threats, in particular issues related to combating terrorism in line with commitments of Basel, Belgrade and Hamburg Ministerial decisions. The phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, their transfer and deployment to the conflict zones should be among issues, which require the attention of participating states. Also, the rights of ethnic and religious groups who were subjected to violence and ethnic cleansing under the pretext of fighting terrorism should be efficiently addressed.

As for the second dimension, we have already expressed our position during the presentation of the work plan. We are pleased that corruption will be high on the agenda. When corruption is facilitated or condoned by a state, it can have wideranging consequences not only at the national but also at the international level. Using corrupt practices such as bribery of officials of international organizations dictators seek to whitewash their wrongdoings, war crimes and crimes against humanity, thereby creating an atmosphere of impunity and paving the way for new such crimes. Therefore, we see a niche in addressing the implementation of our commitments in this field. We took a good note that food security is included in the activities of the Committee. In this context we believe that OSCE should seek avenues in bringing to accountability those who have weaponized the food to create humanitarian crises particularly in our region.

We are ready to constructively engage in discussions within the thematic priorities of the Irish Chairmanship of Human Dimension Committee. The Delegation of Armenia has always advocated for strengthening the link between Security and Human Rights since the blatant violations of human rights constitute the root causes of the existing conflicts and crisis situations in the OSCE area. In this regard we are pleased that the topics of combatting violence against women in the OSCE area and combatting torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is included in the agenda of the Committee. In the framework of the discussions it is important to take relevant measures to bring the perpetrators into accountability, particularly in the light of the recent developments in our region. We are pleased that the topic of Protection of cultural heritage during and after armed conflict is included in the agenda of the Committee. We believe that alongside the topic of protection of cultural heritage their destruction and appropriation should be included in the agenda of the committee and clearly be linked with the security threats and defined in the scope of armed conflicts.

In conclusion, we would like to wish the distinguished Chairs all success in their endeavors.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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