HRC 51st Session: Item 3 - ID with the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights - Embassy of Armenia to Switzerland and Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN office at Geneva

HRC 51st Session: Item 3 - ID with the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights

14 September, 2022

Delivered by Ms. Armine Petrosyan, Second Secretary

President,

Armenia has faced UCMs almost ever since its independence. Two out of four neighboring states have blocked the land borders of Armenia to exert pressure for political purposes related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through imposing a collective punishment upon people of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

We share the concern of the Special Rapporteur on the difficulties in providing humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable groups subjected to unilateral coercive measures. The unilateral sanctions negatively impacted Armenia's ability to react to emergencies, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the land blockade and military aggression by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh and bordering regions of Armenia were detrimental to the enjoyment of such necessary rights as the right to life, health and freedom of movement. One more example of a unilateral coercive measure imposed by Azerbaijan is the continued blockage of the humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for extending lifesaving assistance to the people in need, including women, children, the elderly and thousands of displaced people.

Almost two years passed since the adoption of the ceasefire statement Azerbaijan still fails to fulfil one of its core objectives – the opening of communications.

I thank you.

First right of reply

President,

Armenia requested the floor to exercise its right of reply to the statements of Azerbaijan.

It is not surprising that Azerbaijan is attempting to justify its blockade, renewed aggression and incessant hostility against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan continues to discriminate against the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to receive international humanitarian aid, including the assistance necessary to ensure the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Last March Azerbaijan has turned the disruption of gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh into a weapon of collective punishment of the people. For almost a month residential buildings, hospitals and schools were left without heating. The civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh - children, elderly, disabled people - were freezing in winter conditions of minus four degrees Celsius.

The disruption of gas supply to Nagorno Karabakh is not an isolated and singular incident. Azerbaijan constantly exerts to the threat and use of force and obstructs the people of Nagorno-Karabakh from obtaining their means of subsistence.

Azerbaijan installed loudspeakers in the vicinity of the Armenian villages close to the Line-of-Contact. It has been intimidating and terrorizing the rural indigenous population by threats spread through those loudspeakers, forcing the civilian population to leave their ancestral homes.

The hostile policy of Azerbaijan has not been limited to Nagorno Karabakh but have been stretched out to the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. Along with several anti-Armenian hate-instigating propaganda statements, and territorial claims, Azerbaijan is using the force and the threat of use of force with clear intention to exert pressure on Armenia and promote its unilateral agenda.

Armenia reported to this Council yesterday that Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military aggression against the Republic of Armenia on September 13. The Azerbaijani armed forces intensively shelled the cities and villages deep into the sovereign territory of Armenia indiscriminately targeting civilian population and infrastructure, including residential houses. The Human Rights Defender of Armenia reported about targeted attacks against medical personal and their clearly-marked vehicle, as well as civilian cars. As a result of Azerbaijani military attacks, there are numerous causalities, both military and civilian.

The situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders remains extremely tense and it requires the urgent attention of this august council.

I thank you.

Second right of reply

President,

The Mission of Armenia is obliged to take the floor again to refute all allegations of Azerbaijan.

Let us recall that the violent mass atrocities and forced deportation of Armenians were the response of Azerbaijani authorities to peaceful, legitimate and democratic demands of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for enjoyment of basic human rights. Azerbaijan resorted to the language of threats and intimidation and pursued policy of violent oppression of the free will of the people.

The impunity granted to the perpetrators paved the way for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians throughout Azerbaijan, including its capital Baku, where hundreds of Armenians were brutally killed and hundreds of thousands expelled. It further led to a full-scale military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in early 1990s.

Azerbaijan continues its policy of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has culminated in Autumn 2020 when Azerbaijan unleashed an aggression. The consequences of war are devastating - displacement of tens of thousands of Armenians from their ancestral homes in Artsakh, destruction and looting of their property, destruction of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage, abduction of civilians, including women, keeping prisoners of war as hostages and using them as bargaining chips, broadcasting their torture and intimidation as a method of blackmail and pressure to name but a few.

In the course of recent days Azerbaijan unleashed a new aggression against the Republic of Armenia. In accordance with its usual heinous practice again Azerbaijan targets the civilian population and infrastructure.

I thank you.

MFA RA
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