Armenian diplomat accuses Azerbaijan of attempting to justify ethnic  cleansing in Artsakh

ArmInfo. Despite efforts to eliminate international terrorism, this global scourge continues to  pose a serious threat to the maintenance of international peace and  security, the rule of law, democracy and the enjoyment of human  rights.

This was stated by Varduhi Melikyan, Counselor of the  Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN, at the UN Sixth Committee  under the Agenda Item 110, entitles "Measures to Eliminate  International Terrorism".  As ArmInfo was informed by the press  service of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN, the diplomat  drew attention to the fact that multiple challenges continue to  persist, including those emerging from new technologies, social  media, and online platforms. 

"The rise of hate speech, xenophobia and polarization creates fertile  ground for the recruitment of terrorists.  Effectively addressing  these evolving challenges calls for comprehensive analysis, proactive  strategies, and strengthened international cooperation to mitigate  the risks they pose to global security.  Countering terrorism and  associated threats necessitates a comprehensive approach that  includes prevention, suppression and effective investigation. Armenia  is fully committed to addressing the evolving threats posed by  terrorism at the national, regional and international levels,"  Melikyan emphasized.

According to her, the relevant international conventions and  documents to which Armenia is a party establish a robust normative  framework for this.  "Armenia, through relevant cooperation  platforms, has been actively working to strengthen and enhance  counter-terrorism efforts by improving coordination and developing  effective strategies, also, within the regional arrangements. As an  active member of the Council of Europe Committee on Counter-  Terrorism, Armenia has consistently contributed to the development of  recommendations and guidelines for member states in combating  terrorism," the Armenian diplomat said. Melikyan then touched upon  the allegations put forward by Azerbaijan in its national submission  to the UN Secretary General's report for this year and stressed that  they are entirely false.

"The claims concerning the so-called "counter-terrorist measures  carried out in September 2023" are nothing short of an attempt to  justify an ethnic cleansing operation. The forcible displacement of  120,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, following a ten-month  blockade and the use of starvation as a method of warfare illustrates  this reality. Azerbaijan's indiscriminate military operations have  caused hundreds of civilian casualties, including many children,  resulting in a massive forcible displacement of people," the Armenian  diplomat added.

"Furthermore, in its submission Azerbaijan has claimed that "  hundreds of its citizens have been victims of "mine terrorism since  2020." We regret that Azerbaijan continues to justify its unlawful  conduct with unfounded accusations about landmines, a claim that has  been rejected twice by the International Court of Justice. It is well  known that Armenia, despite being under no legal obligations to do  so, has voluntarily provided all landmine data in its possession as a  gesture of goodwill. Furthermore, Armenia has invited relevant  international partners to participate in verifying the accuracy of  this information," Melikyan recalled.

The Advisor to the Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN  emphasized that Azerbaijan's misguide assertions are aimed to link  Armenia to terrorism. According to her, these actions rather amount  to hate speech targeting Armenia and its people, a state led policy,  which has been cultivated in Azerbaijan for years.  "In conclusion,  Armenia reaffirms its strong commitment to implementing effective  measures to combat international terrorism, that remains a grave  threat to the maintenance of peace and security, democracy, the rule  of law and the enjoyment of human rights," Melikyan concluded.