Complaint filed in Switzerland against SOCAR Trading for its role in  financing Azerbaijan`s campaign against Artsakh Armenians

ArmInfo. The Committee for the Protection of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh, established by the Parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh in December 2023, together with the Switzerland-Armenia Association, filed an official complaint in Switzerland against SOCAR Trading SA on March 18, 2026.

According to the press service of the Committee for the Protection of  the Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh, the  complaint states that the company violated international standards of  responsible business conduct by providing financial support to a  state responsible for the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian  population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The complaint emphasizes that the company violated international  standards of responsible business conduct by providing financial  support to a state responsible for the ethnic cleansing of the  indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. "The complaint  was formally submitted to the Swiss National Contact Point (SECO) in  accordance with the 2011 and 2023 Organisation for Economic  Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational  Enterprises. In accordance with the 'ad hoc review' procedure of the  OECD guidelines, the Swiss National Contact Point will examine the  complaint and determine further actions and measures to address it,"  the statement said.

SOCAR Trading is the Swiss subsidiary of the State Oil Company of  Azerbaijan (SOCAR), which is the commercial and financial arm of  Azerbaijan's oil sector and a key source of revenue for the  Azerbaijani state. In September 2023, Azerbaijan's military offensive  led to the complete displacement of the Armenian population of  Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively ending the centuries-old Armenian  presence in the region.  Drawing on the analysis of numerous leading  experts, including the first Chief Prosecutor of the International  Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the organizations filing the  complaint emphasize that this campaign amounts to ethnic cleansing  and possibly genocide.

The complaint notes that SOCAR Trading, through its financial and  commercial activities, contributed to the economic resources of the  Azerbaijani state and therefore had a clear obligation, in accordance  with OECD guidelines, to conduct thorough human rights due diligence  and address the risks associated with its activities.

"The forced displacement of approximately 150,000 Armenians from  their homeland is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the  South Caucasus in decades. Companies that provide financial support  to the state responsible for these actions cannot ignore their  obligations under international standards," stated Garnik Kerkonyan,  a Chicago-based international lawyer and Committee member.

At a press conference in Geneva, the plaintiffs also recalled that  exactly one year ago, both chambers of the Swiss Federal Assembly  adopted a resolution instructing the Swiss Federal Department of  Foreign Affairs to organize a peace forum between representatives of  the peoples of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. A year later, such a  forum has yet to take place.

The Committee and its partners expressed hope that the Swiss  authorities will fulfill this parliamentary mandate, which, in their  view, could play an important role in building a just and lasting  peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Switzerland must actively participate in protecting indigenous  peoples and ensuring their right to self- determination, guaranteed  by the Charter of the United Nations. As a neutral state, Switzerland  is well positioned to play a constructive role in finding a just  solution to this long-standing conflict," stated Sargis Shahinyan,  Honorary President of the Switzerland-Armenia Association. Joel  Veldkamp, Director of Public Affairs for the Zurich-based NGO  Christian Solidarity International, expressed his conviction that  lasting peace cannot be built on ethnic cleansing. "The new conflict  with Iran has demonstrated more clearly than ever the importance of  building long-term peace and security in the vital region of the  South Caucasus."

Meanwhile, two members of the Committee for the Protection of the  Fundamental Rights of the People of Nagorno-Karabakh are  participating in the annual session of the UN Human Rights Council in  Geneva.

Speaking at plenary sessions on behalf of several accredited NGOs,  they drew the Council's attention to Azerbaijan's continued illegal  detention of Armenian hostages in Baku prisons, Azerbaijan's refusal  to comply with the November 17, 2023, International Court of Justice  ruling (demanding the safe return of the Armenians of  Nagorno-Karabakh to their historical homeland), and the ongoing  destruction of Armenian spiritual and cultural monuments in  Nagorno-Karabakh.