ArmInfo.The 21st session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly continues its work in Yerevan.
The November 19 meeting discussed the protection of human rights in conflict zones.
Daniela De Ridder, Vice-President of the OSCE PA, emphasized the need to comply with international humanitarian law, as provided for in the Vancouver Declaration. The speaker touched upon the protection of minority rights, the humanitarian consequences of conflicts, and cases of escalation. In this context, she pointed to the forced resettlement of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and added that the Armenian authorities are taking all possible steps, but it is necessary to provide assistance to refugees in solving their problems. The Vice-President of the OSCE PA expressed the opinion that joint steps and political will can give a positive result.
Former U.N. Special Rapporteur on minority issues Fernand de Varennes spoke about overcoming crises, humanitarian problems in conflict zones, and the causes of conflicts. Millions of people in the world cannot realize their rights, and the reason for this is often that they are a minority, he said. According to the speaker, conflict prevention and the protection of minority rights should be at the core of the actions of every CSTO member. Also cases of xenophobia and intolerance were mentioned, which often have serious consequences.
Yeghisheh Kirakosyan, Armenia's Representative for International Legal Affairs, emphasized the importance of discussing issues at such a platform. He presented the problems that Armenia has been suffering from in recent years, detailing the catastrophic consequences of the large-scale war in Azerbaijan.
"When Azerbaijan launched an aggressive war against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, we were faced with the sad realities of human suffering, torture, inhumane treatment and murder, missing prisoners of war and civilians, the rights of tens of thousands of people deprived of their homes," he emphasized. Kirakosyan added that more than a month ago, everyone witnessed the massive resettlement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. According to him, the realities that Armenia has faced over the past three years have prompted the country to actively apply international legal mechanisms. In this context, the RA representative noted, that Armenia appealed to the European Court of Human Rights against Azerbaijan, submitting relevant claims.
"We have a lot of conflicts that are breaking out in different parts of the world, and frozen conflicts are exploding on the European continent and elsewhere, and this worries us very much. This puts the international legal order to the test to see what the international legal order can do to resolve these conflicts," Kirakosyan emphasized. He also mentioned the inadmissibility of inciting hatred on social networks, which also has disastrous consequences. The RA representative also spoke about the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis, which led to ethnic cleansing.
In their speeches, the OSCE PA delegates spoke about the importance of observing international humanitarian law, preventing genocides, the events taking place in Gaza, eliminating manifestations of hatred towards minorities and the need to fight together on this issue. The representative of Belgium emphasized the importance of visiting conflict zones and understanding the situation on the ground.
The delegates touched upon the Russian-Ukrainian, Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, and military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh. The opinion was expressed that there can be no peace without justice, and the importance of equal protection of the rights of all civilians was emphasized. The delegates rejected the policy of double standards. In the process of regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states was emphasized.
Honorary President of the OSCE PA Margareta Cederfelt, from the Swedish delegation noted that genocides are part of history, but there are people who still reject them. The delegate spoke about manifestations of racism and anti-Semitism, religious violence, which humanity is still witnessing. In this context, she considered denial of genocide unacceptable, emphasizing that parliamentarians must contribute to this issue.
Mark Demesmaeker, Deputy Head of the Belgium delegation to the OSCE PA, and Head of the Belgium- Armenia friendship group, spoke about the policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and noted that he was going to visit a refugee center to meet on the spot and listen to their problems. "We need to support Armenia to overcome this situation," the MEP emphasized.
Member of the Armenian delegation to the OSCE PA, representative of the Armenia faction, RA Parliament, Lilit Galstyan reminded her colleagues that all of Yerevan's appeals to the international community were unsuccessful and it was not possible to prevent the catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. She touched upon the issue of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan. Recalling the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan, Galstyan noted that Baku calls Armenia "Western Azerbaijan".
"The best way to protect human rights is democracy, the best environment is peace," said member of the RA NA delegation to the OSCE PA, secretary of the "Civil Contract" faction Arthur Hovhannisyan, and spoke about the problems of Armenians forced refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. He recalled that according to resolutions, statements and even decisions of the international court, they should have lived in their homeland and not become refugees.
In their speeches, OSCE PA delegates spoke about the problems of protecting the rights of children and women in conflict zones. The view was expressed that the protection of minority rights is a problem not only of states, but also of the international community, and for the real protection of people's rights, not only resolutions, but also active steps are needed. The need to protect and secure the rights of Armenians in the region and fulfillment of promises related to the reintegration of Armenians into Azerbaijani society was emphasized.
In his concluding remarks, the head of the RA NA delegation to the OSCE PA, Sarkis Khandanyan, expressed confidence that over the past two days important discussions have taken place regarding internal and external threats, as well as the deterioration of the security situation in the OSCE region.
"Every time we gather on this parliamentary platform, we ultimately express the hope that the next time we meet again, we will find ourselves in a better position, in a more stable and peaceful OSCE region. However, it seems that hopes are not enough, expressing a reaction to what happened is not enough, we need to take more decisive actions to win this battle," Khandanyan said. Concluding his speech, the head of the Armenian delegation expressed gratitude to the people who made this meeting possible.
Roberto Montella, OSCE PA Secretary General, and Pia Kauma, OSCE PA President, thanked the Armenian side for the effective organization of the session at a high level. Pia Kauma expressed confidence that the discussions of the last two days showed that the work of the structure is moving in the right direction. She emphasized the need to establish peace throughout the world and noted that the mission of the assembly is to work in this direction.