Tuesday, October 3 2023 12:34

ArmInfo.On October 2, at the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia a meeting was held with the  heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations accredited in Armenia. The meeting was coordinated by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan. Deputy Prime  Ministers of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan and Mher Grigoryan participated and also delivered remarks.

As the press service of the RA MFA reports, Minister Mirzoyan  presented the current situation created as a result of Azerbaijan's  ongoing policy of Armenophobia towards the people of Nagorno-Karabakh  and, in particular, the large-scale military attack carried out on  September 19. The Minister reminded that Azerbaijan's actions were  accompanied by targeting of the civilian population and  infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of casualties and wounded. He  added that the Azerbaijani aggression was preceded by more than 9  months of illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road  connecting Nagorno- Karabakh to Armenia and the outer world.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia emphasized that the  continuous warnings from the Armenian side that Azerbaijan, with its  deliberate actions, was planning to subject Nagorno-Karabakh to  ethnic cleansing, did not lead to effective steps by the  international community to prevent Baku's policy. The Foreign  Minister stressed that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, more than  100.000 Armenians, were forcibly displaced, facing existential threat  for their families, including children, women and the elderly. 

Touching upon the arrival of the UN mission to Nagorno-Karabakh the  day before, the Minister emphasized that it was much overdue and that  at the moment, unfortunately, the only result of this mission could  be stating the fact of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population  from Nagorno-Karabakh.

Touching upon the willingness of various countries and international  organizations to provide support in overcoming current humanitarian  problems, Ararat Mirzoyan expressed gratitude for the provided urgent  support.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan, who is  coordinating the Humanitarian Center established by the Government of  Armenia, presented to the participants the steps of the Government  aimed at identifying and addressing the priority problems of more  than 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The  Deputy Prime Minister touched upon the state support programs  developed based on the assessment of urgent needs, parallel to them  emphasizing the proper, comprehensive needs assessment, which is  being conducted including in cooperation with international partners.  The latter will allow the development of targeted long- term  assistance programs.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan touched upon the work  carried out for preparation of mid-term and long-term programs aimed  at addressing the primary needs of forcibly displaced Armenians of  Nagorno-Karabakh. The Deputy Prime Minister considered the issue of  providing forcibly displaced people with places of residence a  priority and also noted the imperative of providing them with  employment, educational, medical and social services.

Touching upon the overall situation and developments in the South  Caucasus, in particular the issue of unblocking the regional economic  and transport communications, Minister Mirzoyan reiterated that  Armenia is interested in unblocking communications based on  sovereignty and jurisdiction of parties and principles of equality  and reciprocity.

It should be noted that the UN Mission, led by the UN Resident  Coordinator in Azerbaijan, summed up the results of its one-day visit  to Nagorno-Karabakh the night before. In a released statement,  observers note that, according to the data they received, " between  50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remain in the Karabakh region". 

"The mission was struck by the sudden manner in which the local  population left their homes and the suffering the experience must  have caused," the UN team said cynically.

Further, UN officials state that "they did not hear - from either  locals interviewed or others - of incidences of violence against  civilians following the latest ceasefire." The authors of the  statement also note that "the mission did not get access to rural  areas, but did not see any signs of destruction of agricultural  infrastructure or livestock."

"It is difficult to determine at this stage whether the local  population intends to return", from the conversations they were able  to have. What was clear is that there is a need to build trust and  confidence, and this will require time and effort from all sides,"  the team of the international organization emphasizes, assuring that  the "UN team in Azerbaijan stands ready to support the remaining  local population and those who wish to return, in support of the  Government of Azerbaijan."

According to the statement, UN representatives visited Akne,  Stepanakert and the Kashatagh (Lachin) corridor during a one-day  visit. According to the report, observers' access to rural areas "was  limited" Against the background of numerous photos and video footage  of the atrocities of the Azerbaijani armed forces on the territory of  Artsakh, this statement by the UN mission is more reminiscent of an  'April Fool's joke' than a real unbiased report from the scene of  events. We can say with confidence that this report is biased and  one-sided, made for show.