ArmInfo.Armenia and Azerbaijan have started debate on the Armenia v Azerbaijan case at the International Court of Justice.
As Yeghishe Kirakosyan, the RA representative on international legal issues, noted in his speech, Armenia initiated the trial on September 16, 2021 in accordance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Yerevan accuses Baku of actions against Armenians for decades, which came to the fore during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020. Schools in Azerbaijan teach to hate and kill Armenians, and the media of this state continues the policy of spreading hatred towards people of Armenian nationality. Even Azerbaijani officials are calling for the complete destruction of the Armenians. "This is a form of outright racism, which is encouraged by the Azerbaijani state. An example of this can be the facts of acquittals and awarding of the title of National Hero to criminals for the murder of Armenians in peacetime," Kirakosyan said.
He noted that the apogee of this policy was the events of September 2020, when Azerbaijan began large- scale military operations against the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. For 44 days, soldiers of the Azerbaijani army killed, tortured and other violent actions against ethnic Armenians, including civilians and prisoners of war, proudly showing relevant videos. As a result of these actions, over 30 thousand Armenians then became refugees, and AR President Ilham Aliyev officially stated that Baku would not leave an Armenian trace in these territories. Then official Yerevan appealed to the court with a demand to take measures to protect the Armenians who had not yet been killed or expelled at that time. "However, everyone knows what happened next. Even the court could not stop the crimes of Baku, committed on grounds of racial discrimination against Armenians, which resulted in ethnic cleansing in September 2023. Just a month ago, Aliyev lit a fire in Stepanakert, said via Twitter" about the final cleansing of Nagorno- Karabakh from Armenians," Kirakosyan noted.
He added that in contrast to Armenia, Azerbaijan presented its accusations, trying to create a false agenda. In particular, Baku does not have video materials testifying to the allegedly massive crimes committed by Armenia, which could become the basis for a trial and prove the rightness of the Azerbaijani side. As a result, Baku is trying to revive a 30-year history, which, due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, goes beyond the powers of the UN ICC.
Armenia demanded that the court introduce interim measures to avoid an escalation of tension. Azerbaijan presented its justifications the day before. The second round of discussions will take place from April 17 to 19. First, Azerbaijan will present its justifications (April 17), after which it will be Armenia's turn (April 19).