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    Categories: 2021

Armenia to take steps to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes — ministry

TASS, Russia
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging Azerbaijan to release Armenian soldiers and civilians held captive since last year’s conflict

YEREVAN, May 22. /TASS/. Armenia is determined to take to international courts those who are responsible for war crimes, which could include the breach of humanitarian law by Azerbaijan, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"The European Parliament has stated that violations of humanitarian law by Azerbaijan amount to enforced disappearance. The abovementioned violations are war crimes and Armenia will undertake necessary steps to bring the perpetrators of those crimes to international justice," the statement says. "The Resolution clearly states that by intruding in the territory of Armenia on May 12, Azerbaijan violated international law and the territorial integrity of Armenia."

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution urging Azerbaijan to release Armenian soldiers and civilians held captive since last year’s conflict. Under the resolution, the European Parliament called on Yerevan and Baku to investigate possible violations of the Geneva Convention and look into any indications of war crimes. Additionally, the resolution says that Azerbaijani troops violated Armenia's territorial integrity on May 12.

On May 12, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported that early in the morning Azerbaijani forces had attempted to conduct "certain work" in an area bordering the Syunik region to "adjust the border." The ministry said that after the Armenian detachments had taken action, Azerbaijani troops stopped the work. Later in the evening, Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan convened a meeting of the national Security Council to slam the incident as an encroachment on Armenia’s territory. Pashinyan claimed that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces crossed into Armenia, travelling 3.5 kilometers.

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS