Artsakh Is Not Only a Piece of Territory, It Is People, Whose Dignity Should Be Respected, Armenian FM Says

TURIN (Armradio) — On May 20, the 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe was held in Turin, Italy, where Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, participated and delivered remarks. In his speech, Minister Mirzoyan, particularly, noted:

The need for peace and stability is long overdue for our region, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the 132nd Ministerial Session of the Council of Europe in Turin, Italy.

“Today we are witnessing the looming demise of the security architecture which certainly has not started just recently during the last couple of months. We felt the shatter of multilateralism, the crack of international institutions and disrespect for fundamental rules less than two years ago when Azerbaijan, violating the principle of non-use of force, unleashed a war against Nagorno-Karabakh and its people. It’s been a year and a half since those horrible times, and Azerbaijan claims that the Nagorno- Karabakh issue is solved and they are ready for peace,” the Foreign Minister stated.

“I would sound naive but if it’s true why we still struggle for the rights of prisoners of war and detainees and their immediate release and repatriation. Why do we still struggle for cultural rights of people and policy-driven demolition of Armenian cultural heritage under Azerbaijani control? Why do we struggle for the right of children to get quality education as their schools are frequently under fire? Why do we struggle for the right of people to have basic living standards in their houses as the only gas pipeline is being cut?” he continued.

“I can continue bringing new examples but to put it briefly: why we struggle to make Azerbaijan understand that Nagorno Karabakh is not only a piece of territory, it is people, whose dignity should be respected,” he said, adding that “as the devotion of human rights brought us all here then this is the issue for all of us.”

The Foreign Minister noted that the Government of Armenia is committed to the efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the region and has reiterated on numerous occasions its readiness to immediately start genuine and constructive negotiations on normalization of relations with Azerbaijan.

“And in this regard, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship has a key role to play in advancing the peace process. But we strongly believe that the Council of Europe also, within its mandate, should be active in supporting that process,” Ararat Mirzoyan said.

He concluded by saying that “need for peace and stability is long overdue for our region.”