Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must  be unconditionally respected - Statement

ArmInfo. Today at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, 34 countries issued  a joint statement expressing deep concern about the serious humanitarian and human rights crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the joint statement was  read by the Permanent Representative of France at the UN office in  Geneva. The statement notes that the mass expulsion of the Armenian  population from their homes resulted from the military operation  carried out by Azerbaijan on September 19, as well as the nine-month  blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The authors of the statement agreed with UN High Commissioner for  Human Rights Volker Turk that it is necessary to conduct an  immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the  violations of human rights and international humanitarian law  recorded in Nagorno-Karabakh. The authors of the statement expressed  confidence that the Office of the High Commissioner should conduct  monitoring in Nagorno- Karabakh, meet with refugees resettled in  Armenia and report to the Human Rights Council. The countries  expressed their readiness to consider further steps in the Human  Rights Council.

The statement calls on Azerbaijan to immediately create conditions  for the voluntary, safe, dignified and permanent return of those who  would like to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, in accordance with the  decision of the European Court of Human Rights and the International  Court of Justice and to guarantee the protection of Armenian  religious and cultural heritage.

"The arrival of international missions in Nagorno-Karabakh is  necessary to provide assistance, conduct impartial monitoring, and  report on the human rights situation. The sovereignty and territorial  integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be unconditionally  respected. We strongly support dialogue between all parties to  establish a comprehensive and lasting peace," said the statement,  which was joined by Armenia, the USA, France, Germany, Belgium,  Australia, Austria, Spain, Canada, Cyprus, Greece, Japan, Great  Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and 17 other  countries.