ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR CRITICIZES AZERBAIJAN’S RHETORIC AT UN SECURITY COUNCIL

Tert
Nov 12 2009
Armenia

The United Nations Security Council began its debate on the effective
protection of civilians in armed conflict on November 11, which marked
the tenth anniversary of its systematic work in this endeavour.

The debate, with the participation of representatives from the UN’s
47 member states including Armenia, lasted well into the evening.

During the debate, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador, Agshin Mehdiyev, spoke
about the events of Khojaly, presenting Azerbaijan’s view on the
events.

Armenia’s Ambassador, Karen Nazaryan, followed Mehdiyev’s address
closely and responded with the following statement, as noted by the
UN Security Council and posted on the UN website:

"Selective approaches to violations of international humanitarian law
must be abandoned, he said, stressing the need for strict adherence
to human rights standards. The peaceful resolution of a conflict
required strong political will and painful compromises from both sides.

"The time had come to replace the ‘unchanged rhetoric of war-mongering
and hollow allegations’ with constructive steps towards an environment
more conducive to peaceful settlement.

"Armenia had welcomed a proposal by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs
to remove snipers from the line of contact as part of suggested
confidence-building measures. Regrettably, Azerbaijan had rejected
that timely and constructive proposal, thus illustrating its true
attitude toward its international obligations.

"Armenia remained committed to the peaceful resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and believed strongly that a fundamental
solution to the dispute must be achieved by peaceful means, based on
the principles of international law."