Armenian Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan has reflected on the determination of Armenia's borders with Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan’s continued state policy of Armenophobia in an interview to Sputnik Armenia. The ombudsman shared the key points of the interview on his Facebook page.
"1. When choosing any approach or a principle in determining Armenia’s state borders, at least two crucial questions must be answered: 1) whether the approach applied endangers the inviolability of the state borders of Armenia and the security of the country; 2) whether the approach applied endangers or violates the rights of people living in our country and especially border residents, and whether it is consistent with the requirements of the applicable rule of law.
"2. Determination of Armenia's borders with Azerbaijan must be considered in the context of guaranteeing the physical security and the health and welfare of the border residents. Indeed, the viability of the Armenian people in general, their lives, their physical and mental inviolability, their property rights and all other vital needs must be the foremost priority at all times," Tatoyan said.
"To be clear, and to put in context, not only the state policy of an organized anti-Armenian campaign and an anti-Armenian propaganda has not stopped being implemented in Azerbaijan, but such activities have also continued to be put to use and have been further developed. These practices have produced new manifestations of openly and notoriously threatening the territory of Armenia and our entire population.
"Moreover, a study of the speeches and rhetoric of that country's president attests to the threat of a genocide," he added.