Azerbaijan has steadily established itself as a serial violator whose record of aggressive, criminal actions in the region must be acknowledged for what they represent – premeditated, carefully planned and executed efforts, which are demonstrative of an intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national and ethnic group as such, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Mher Margaryan said at the UN Security Council on April 24.
“Time and again, Armenia has consistently alerted the international community on the instances of gross violations of the international law in our part of the world. We have repeatedly brought it to the attention of this Council that Azerbaijan — Armenia’s neighbor, who is multiple times larger in size, and resources — has been engaging in the illegal practice of acquisition of territories by force,” the envoy said.
“In 2020, Azerbaijan launched a wave of deadly violence in the region, in an attempt to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force, contrary to provisions of the UN Charter. The reality is that Azerbaijan exploited the vulnerabilities of the international order and the deficiencies of multilateral system to launch a large-scale military aggression, conducted in gross violation of the international humanitarian law, accompanied with numerous cases of atrocities, including against the civilians,” he added.
Mr. Margaryan reminded that in September 2022, Azerbaijan launched yet another criminal attack targeting densely populated areas and civilian infrastructure in Armenia.
“Since 12 December 2022 the population of 120,000 people in Nagorno-Karabakh has been kept hostage in the conditions of the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan, disrupting the only lifeline connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outer world,” the Ambassador noted.
“On 22 February, this year, the International Court of Justice issued provisional measure, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”. To this date, it has failed to implement the Court’s legally binding Order, engaging, instead, in manipulative interpretations, distortions and fabrications, which, as we have seen, have little value in the court of law,” he continued.
“Notwithstanding the presence of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation on the ground, as per 9 November 2020 Trilateral statement, not only has the corridor continued to remain disrupted for over 4 months now, but, as of yesterday, an Azerbaijani checkpoint was installed, in flagrant violation of the commitments under the Trilateral statement and the Order of the ICJ,” the envoy said.
“We have been warning the United Nations and this Council that the alarming situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to turning into a humanitarian catastrophe. Two and a half years into the establishment of the ceasefire, the UN and its humanitarian agencies are yet to render the much needed assistance for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” he stated.
Mher Margaryan stressed that “by now, it should be beyond any reasonable doubt for anyone in the international community that Azerbaijan has steadily established itself as a serial violator whose record of aggressive, criminal actions in the region must be acknowledged for what they represent – premeditated, carefully planned and executed efforts, which are demonstrative of an intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national and ethnic group as such.”
“The masterminds of such plans in Azerbaijan, as well as their enablers, must however bear in mind, that no amount of distorted narrative, or corruption and manipulations with energy resources can alter the fact that there is no statute of limitation for a certain category of crimes, and those committing such serious violations will have to face responsibility, including through mechanisms of international jurisdiction, as justice and accountability must be at the core of effective multilateralism,” he concluded.
