Armenian FM Briefs UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Issues in the South Caucasus

GENEVA — Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on the sidelines of the high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council, on February 26, in Geneva.

Touching upon the challenges in protection of human rights in different parts of the world, the importance of effective use of existing tools was emphasized, since the opposite leads to failure in preventing the most serious violations and the repetition of tragic outcomes.

Referring to the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister Mirzoyan briefed his counterpart on the steps taken to address the needs and rights of the Armenian population forcibly displaced from their homeland.

During the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Volker Türk also exchanged views on the latest developments in the South Caucasus. Minister Mirzoyan briefed the Commissioner on the approaches of Armenia to key issues in the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, based on unequivocal respect for the principles of territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, and sovereignty. Minister Mirzoyan stressed that with a clear commitment to these principles, as well as refraining from aggressive rhetoric and from steps aimed at escalating the situation on the ground, it will be possible to move forward in the peace process.