Lemkin Institute calls on UN to prepare mission to Artsakh including  international team members from countries neutral to conflict

ArmInfo.The Lemkin Institue of Genocide Prevention has issued the following statement: 

"The Lemkin Institue of Genocide Prevention is disappointed with the  outcome of the UN mission's visit to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on  October 1, which took place after the entire Armenian population of  Artsakh had already fled due to forcible displacement following the  recent Azerbaijani invasion. It is difficult to understand what the  purpose of such a mission was and why there was never more pressure  for Azerbaijan to allow a mission into Artsakh during Azerbaijan's  9-month blockade of the region that led up to the invasion. The  Lemkin Institute calls on the UN to prepare a proper mission to the  Republic of Artsakh, one that is inclusive of international team  members from countries neutral to the conflict to conduct a thorough  analysis of the current situation on the ground. In order to ensure  the rights of the Armenians in Artsakh, the UN must act with  professionalism, impartiality, and commitment to the values presented  in the UN Charter.

"The Lemkin Institue of Genocide Prevention is disappointed with the  outcome of the UN mission's visit to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on  October 1, which took place after the entire Armenian population of  Artsakh had already fled due to forcible displacement following the  recent Azerbaijani invasion. It is difficult to understand what the  purpose of such a mission was and why there was never more pressure  for Azerbaijan to allow a mission into Artsakh during Azerbaijan's  9-month blockade of the region that led up to the invasion. The  Lemkin Institute calls on the UN to prepare a proper mission to the  Republic of Artsakh, one that is inclusive of international team  members from countries neutral to the conflict to conduct a thorough  analysis of the current situation on the ground. In order to ensure  the rights of the Armenians in Artsakh, the UN must act with  professionalism, impartiality, and commitment to the values presented  in the UN Charter.

"The Lemkin Institue of Genocide Prevention is disappointed with the  outcome of the UN mission's visit to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on  October 1, which took place after the entire Armenian population of  Artsakh had already fled due to forcible displacement following the  recent Azerbaijani invasion. It is difficult to understand what the  purpose of such a mission was and why there was never more pressure  for Azerbaijan to allow a mission into Artsakh during Azerbaijan's  9-month blockade of the region that led up to the invasion. If the  United Nations is not going to take genocide seriously, it would be  better if it sent no missions at all to regions that have experienced  genocide.

"According to the UN, "the mission aimed to assess the situation on  the ground and identify the humanitarian needs of both the people  remaining and those who are on the move". Despite the complex purpose  of this visit by the mission, the assessment itself and the statement  on the outcome of that assessment were completed within one day,  begging the question of just how seriously the UN mission could have  taken the task of an assessment on the ground. It is worth mentioning  that this was the first UN visit to the region in 30 years.

"Prior to this visit, concerns about the consistent political  insecurity of Armenians in Artsakh and threats to the Armenian  population within the region had been raised several times within UN  bodies. Two UN Security Council meetings were convened on the topic  of ongoing threats to the Armenians of Artsakh (on August 16,  regarding the full blockade imposed on the Republic of Artsakh by  Azerbaijan, and on September 21, regarding the Azerbaijani military  attack on the Armenian population in Artsakh). In both meetings, the  majority of the Security Council's member states condemned  Azerbaijan's actions, stating that they posed a threat to the  security and well-being of the region's Armenians and discouraged any  peacemaking efforts in the region. In addition to these  condemnations, the International Court of Justice has ordered  Azerbaijan on two separate occasions (on February 22 and July 6,  2023) to reopen the Lachin Corridor-the humanitarian route connecting  the Republic of Artsakh with Armenia. All statements and ICJ orders  have been ignored by Azerbaijan.

"The Lemkin Institute has issued multiple Red Flag Alerts for  Azerbaijan since the Lachin Corridor was blockaded in December 2022,  as well as an Active Genocide Alert and SOS alerts indicating an  extremely high risk of genocide for the Armenians in Artsakh. Given  the UN representatives' clear knowledge of the risks to the Armenian  population in Artsakh (as demonstrated by the convening of two  Security Council meetings on the topic), it is very surprising to us  that the mission would visit this region only after the end of the  Azerbaijani offensive and after the exodus of more than 100,000  Armenians from the former Republic. The fact that Azerbaijani  President Ilham Aliyev donated USD $1 million to the UN Human  Settlements Program on September 30-just one day prior to the  mission's deployment to Nagorno- Karabakh-only increases our concerns  regarding the honesty and transparency of the mission.

"In examining the mission's operation and statement, we found  numerous controversial points. First, the mission arrived in the  region only after the end of the bloodshed and exodus of the  Armenians, and it only lasted only one day. In the briefing by  Stephanie Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio  Guterres, it was stated that "they [the members of the mission] got  to see quite a bit". However, in the context of a full-blockade,  followed by military invasion and ethnic cleansing, 24 hours alone is  certainly not sufficient to adequately assess the situation on the  ground. Second, the information on the number of Armenians remaining  in Artsakh (from 50 to 1,000) contradicts the numbers given by the  former Ombudsman of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, who has argued that  there are not more than 40 people remaining in the region at the  moment. And third, as for the text of the statement itself, the UN  visited certain unspecified parts of the city of Stepanakert, where  it "saw no damage to civilian public infrastructure, including  hospitals, schools and housing, or to cultural and religious  structures". However, there is verifiable photographic evidence of  the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the city of  Stepanakert, as it was bombed by Azerbaijan during its military  offensive. In addition to this limited access to Stepanakert, the  team visited Agdam City-which was under Azerbaijani control and  uninhabited by Armenians, and therefore not crucial for the  agenda-and the Lachin Corridor, which was surveyed after the entire  population had been forced to flee. It is notable that the UN mission  failed to include any representatives from the Armenian mission to  the UN, and it did not visit the Syunik region to speak with Armenian  refugees who were forced to leave Artsakh. The concluding statement  is extremely vague and uninformative.

"With all of this said, the Lemkin Institute considers the operation  of the mission to be unsuccessful, as it failed to accurately present  or assess the reality of the situation in the Republic of Artsakh. We  strongly believe that undertaking the "mission for the sake of a  mission" and making a"statement for the sake of a statement" are not  adequate responses to situations as serious and as dangerous as what  has unfolded in the South Caucasus. We question the scruples and  integrity of this mission. The vague operating principles and  assessments of the UN mission, which lacked any specific goals,  methodology, or recommendations, severely risks undermining the trust  that the international community collectively places in the work of  the United Nations.

"The Lemkin Institute calls on the UN to prepare a proper mission to  the Republic of Artsakh, one that is inclusive of international team  members from countries neutral to the conflict to conduct a thorough  analysis of the current situation on the ground. This reality, which  is the result of a conflict that has endured for three decades,  cannot be assessed in one day. In order to ensure the rights of the  Armenians in Artsakh, the UN must act with professionalism,  impartiality, and commitment to the values presented in the UN  Charter."