HRC 48th Session: Item 3 - ID with the SR on hazardous substances and wastes: Delivered by Ms. Emma Harutyunyan - Embassy of Armenia to Switzerland and Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN office at Geneva

HRC 48th Session: Item 3 - ID with the SR on hazardous substances and wastes: Delivered by Ms. Emma Harutyunyan

22 September, 2021

September 21, 2021

HRC 48th Session: Item 3 - ID with the SR on hazardous substances and wastes Delivered by Ms. Emma Harutyunyan

President,

Armenia welcomes the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to science in the context of toxic substances. We believe that the Right to Science as an international human rights instrument should be read in conjunction with freedom of expression. This will enable the scientists to communicate their findings without any threat of harassment and retaliation․

We agree that one of the major threats to the right to science, particularly in the toxics’ context, is the manipulation of the information on hazardous substances and waste both nationally and internationally, causing tensions that threaten regional peace and inflict serious social harm. In this context, we look forward to renewed international commitment toward the safeguarding of the right to science from further politicization.

President,

During its military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan was weaponizing environmental disinformation to conduct a shadow war on media and social platforms. However, it was Azerbaijan that used white phosphorus-containing termite substances, causing irreversible damage to the environment and ecosystem. The use of cluster munition and incendiary weapons against civilians was confirmed by international structures. Those documents show that the debris from buildings and infrastructure such as hydropower stations and gas pipelines containing asbestos, silica, and specific toxic materials, are all associated with potentially harmful health effects. It may take years for Nagorno-Karabakh to totally clean the contaminated areas.

Thank you.

First Right of Reply

President,

Armenia asked for the floor to reply to the statements made by Azerbaijan during several interactive dialogues.

At the outset let us stress that repetitive propaganda narratives not backed by any factual evidence and voiced here by Azerbaijan serve nothing but a blame game for the sake of concealing its own well documented and well reported crimes.

When voicing groundless accusations, Azerbaijan conveniently forgets that close to 1000 Armenians are still missing as a direct result of aggression unleashed by it against Nagorno-Karabakh in 1990s and the continued impunity that the perpetrators of gross violations of human rights still enjoy. Additionally, more than 240 Armenians count as missing from the fall 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Many of them are considered to be subjected to enforce disappearance, since there are photo/video and other credible evidences that at some point they were in Azerbaijani custody. The latter continues to deny to disclose their fate and whereabouts. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan never ratified the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

On mercenaries – the press release of the WG on the use of mercenaries states (and I quote) “the Government of Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, relied on Syrian fighters to shore-up and sustain its military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The way in which these individuals were recruited, transported … appeared consistent with the definition of a mercenary, as set out by relevant international legal instruments (end of the quote)”. The high-level officials and intelligence agencies of such countries as France, Russia and the United States have repeatedly confirmed the use of mercenaries by Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that according to a number of international reports Azerbaijan used mercenaries against Nagorno-Karabakh also during the war of 1990s. Those mercenaries were closely linked to notorious terrorist organizations that committed despicable cruel attacks worldwide. These are the plain and well-known facts. As afar as Azerbaijan’s claims are concerned then they are not backed by any credible report or evidence and hence, they are a mere propaganda pieces.

On water contamination- When it comes to the water pollution, the joint exercise that included Armenia, Azerbaijan, OSCE, NATO, ENVSEC Environment and Security Initiative came to the conclusion that despite allegations made by Azerbaijan, the water flows coming down from the Armenian mountains to Azerbaijan are not polluted. In response to this conclusion Azerbaijan simply stopped any kind of cooperation in this field. Moreover, all calls of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international mediators of the conflict to jointly use the water reservoirs in the region were vehemently denied by Azerbaijan.

Second Right of Reply

President,

Armenia requested the floor to refute the allegations made by Azerbaijan with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The realities created by the use of force cannot be legitimate. Occupation of the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, threats and aggressive posturing cannot become the basis for a lasting and sustainable settlement of the conflict.

Armenia reiterates its readiness to continue efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through political and diplomatic means. The international mediators of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution have reiterated that its comprehensive settlement should be based on the principles and elements elaborated throughout the years. One of those principles is the right of people to self-determination.

Armenia has expressed its good will on numerous occasions, including by passing to Azerbaijan information on the minefields.

However, Azerbaijan undertakes new provocative actions on a daily basis, such as, to name but a few, the continued illegal presence of Azerbaijani armed forces on the sovereign territory of Armenia, killings of Armenian servicemen on our territory, intimidation and attacks on residents of the border villages, mock trials of Armenian prisoners of war, and the rejection to provide any information on the whereabouts of many more Armenian detainees, continuous destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage.

The people who have passed through the horrors of the war both in 2020 and in 1990s should have the right to freely choose their political status, in full compliance with the international law. We believe it is a choice between life and death.

I thank you.

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