Saturday, September 24 2016 14:48

ArmInfo. Armenia know what it  means to be a refugee and to host refugees, Edward Nalbandian, Acting  Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, said in his  speech delivered at the 71st Session of the United Nations General  Assembly General Debate.

The press office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry quotes Nalbandian  as saying, "The United Nations has a considerable role to play in  changing the environment conducive to intolerance, racial  discrimination, xenophobia, violent extremism and terrorism. On  numerous occasions Armenia has condemned the crimes committed by  DAESH, other terrorist groups, which threaten the peoples of the  region and beyond. The war in Syria has a devastating impact on its  civilian population, including national and religious minorities who  face existential threats due to identity based crimes. The violence  has not bypassed Syrian-Armenians, many of whom lost their lives. The  Armenian settlements, churches, schools and cultural institutions  were destroyed.

One hundred years ago Armenian refugees found shelter in many Arab  countries after the Armenian Genocide. Today thousands of Armenians,  together with other people of the Middle East, again are forced to  flee their homes. From Syria alone more than 20 thousand found refuge  in Armenia. Therefore, we know what it means to be a refugee and to  host refugees.

The Government of Armenia has undertaken considerable efforts in  assisting the refugees and facilitating their integration. We believe  that wider international cooperation is needed to adequately address  the challenges posed by massive displacement".

"Armenia has been continuously supporting and contributing to the  elaboration of the mechanisms of prevention, in particular by  regularly initiating Resolutions on the Prevention of Genocide in the  Human Rights Council. As a nation who experienced the first genocide  of the 20th century and continues to face the denial of this horror,  Armenia reaffirms its strong support to the fight against impunity of  genocide. 2016 marks the first anniversary of the UN General Assembly  Resolution initiated by Armenia, proclaiming December 9th as an  International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of  Genocide.

As the threat of violence continues to spread in different parts of  the world it is crucial to make our joint efforts for peace and  security more efficient. It is with this understanding that Armenia  has participated in a number of UN and UN-mandated Peace Operations,  thus actively contributing in the most direct way to the building of  international peace and security," Nalbandian said. 

In his speech, Nalbandian also noted that Armenia welcomes the  integration of the Vienna Programme of Action for the Landlocked  Developing Countries into the Agenda 2030 as an important step to  promote sustainable and inclusive development. "To ensure the  effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and  mainstream it into our policies, the Government of Armenia has  recently adopted a national strategy for its implementation. We  deplore policies that stipulate unilateral economic measures as an  instrument of political pressure," he said.