ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DELIVERS SPEECH AT THE 64TH SESSION OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ARMENPRESS
Sep 29, 2009
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS: On September 28 Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian delivered speech during the general
discussions of 64th session of the UN General Assembly. Media relations
department of Armenian Foreign Ministry told Armenpress that in his
speech the Minister said: "Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and
gentlemen, I would like to warmly welcome you, Dr. Treki, on your
election as President of the 64th session of the General Assembly
and express our readiness to work with you to achieve the ambitious
agenda that is ahead of us during this session. I would also like to
extend our thanks to the outgoing President, Mr. Brockmann for his
hard work during the previous session.
Mr. President, Each new session of the General Assembly provides an
opportunity to share with each other our achievements and concerns,
and join our efforts in moving the global agenda forward. We are
going through a truly challenging period. This year we were all
devastated by the impact of the financial crisis. The crisis did not
leave a corner of the world or an economic sector untouched. Many
countries in the world experienced unprecedented economic decline
seriously challenging the hard-earned advancements and the prospects
for reaching the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Armenia was not void of the dramatic effects of the on-going financial
crisis. However, the Armenian government did its best to safeguard
the socially vulnerable. No cuts in the budget were made in the
social sector.
Mr. President, We believe that our endeavors must be guided, first
and foremost, by the need to mitigate human costs of the crisis in
order to avoid serious consequences on human security. We believe
that an equitable global recovery requires full participation of
all countries, irrespective of their size and level of development,
in shaping appropriate responses to the crisis. And we have to come
together he take decisions that help us overcome the past and build
future because there are still painful gaps between our people’s
dreams and prospects.
United Nations funds, programs and agencies, in accordance with their
respective mandates, have an important role to play in advancing
development, in accordance with national strategies and priorities,
to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals.
We understand that these goals for which the deadline set is the year
2015, will require enormous efforts to achieve. The General Assembly
will continue to address this issue during its sixty-fourth session,
and Armenia is ready to contribute to the process of preparing for
a high-level meeting in September 2010.
Mr. President, We embarked on the process of UN reforms in order to
reflect the present world in this fora and to enhance its capabilities
and effectiveness in addressing modem challenges. Armenia commits
itself to strengthening the institutional capacities of the United
Nations, supports the UN reform-processes and is ready to bring its
contribution.
We were successful in agreeing on several vital decisions, creation
of Peacebuilding Commission and Human Rights Council among others. We
aspire to further advance the human rights protection in conformity
with the obligations of member-states, and we see an honest discussion
on outstanding issues and sharing of experience on how to overcome
them within the Human Rights Council as a true path to success in
this respect.
We regard the principles of Prevention of Genocide and Responsibility
to Protect as the key principles, cornerstones of the overall human
security system. In this respect we commend the report of the Secretary
General on "Implementing the Responsibility to Protect", which charts
a course for the United Nations to prevent genocide, war crimes,
ethnic cleansing through bolstering the capacities of the Organization.
As it is rightly stated, in the Report, genocides do not happen
all of a sudden. The instigators propa rounds for violence. As
survivors of genocide, we, Armenians welcome all efforts to prevent
and combat racist and xenophobic attitudes. We have been and will be
doing everything to provide for a continuous advocacy for prevention
of genocide. The international community must be vigilant over the
development of such situations and events, and demonstrate its ability
to act timely to prevent future tragedies.
Mr. President, We consider the goals of disarmament and
non-proliferation major elements of global and regional security
systems. We must shoulder the responsibility and work not only towards
non-proliferation and elimination of nuclear weapons but also towards
elimination of militaristic aspirations of some states. It is totally
unacceptable when the threats to resolve the conflicts through military
means are made on the highest level, and those are left unabated by
the international community.
The NK peace process, which is mediated by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group, is moving forward. The Presidents and the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet regularly to discuss
the principles of a comprehensive resolution of the conflict. Armenia
is convinced that in order to create an opportunity for progress in
the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, the parties
should commit to refrain from steps that could hamper dialogue and
the peace process.
On the international arena, Azerbaijan consistently misrepresents the
essence of the Nagorno Karabagh problem, like two days ago in this
forum, trying to smother ethnic cleansings and its policy of violence
against the people of Nagorno Karabagh. The international community
recalls the Azerbaijani open aggression, large-scale hostilities
and war against Nagorno Karabagh, also with the help of mercenaries,
closely linked to terrorist organizations. These ultimately claimed
lives of tens of thousand of civilians.
We believe that there is a serious basis for the settlement of
the Nagorno Karabagh problem, if the provi by the Presidents of
the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian
Federation on 2 November 2008, in Moscow, and also in the Declaration
of the Foreign Ministers of the Co-Chair countries of the OSCE Minsk
Group issued in Helsinki on 4 December 2008, and in the Declaration
adopted by the Foreign Ministers of all 56 OSCE member states on 5
December 2008, are implemented. According to these documents, the
parties must commit themselves to the peaceful settlement of the
problem through negotiations, based on "Madrid Principles" of the
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The Basic Principles, around which negotiations are held currently,
are anchored on the benchmark codes of the international law as
incorporated in the Charter of this Organization, the Helsinki Final
Act and other relevant international documents. The international
principles of Non-Use or Threat of Use of Force, the Self-Determination
of Peoples and Territorial Integrity are equally viable. Some
have long attempted to downplay the importance of the notion of
self-determination of peoples as a second-rate principle in the
system of international law, and inferior to that of "territorial
integrity". I have to disappoint the advocates of double standards:
self-determination is an unconditional clause of the international
law; it is about liberty, freedom of any people to choose its future
and fate, and to defend its collective rights whenever those rights
and that future are jeopardized. If selfdetermination was inferior
to territorial integrity there would have been only 52 member states
in the UN, instead of 192 present.
Mr. President, Trust and accountability among neighboring states are
guarantees for sustainable cooperation and durable security in the
region. We, in the South Caucasus, have yet to report on that. Our
region, in fact, is among the most sensitive hot spots on the world’s
political map overloaded with almost a full set of security threats
and challenges. The region is devastated by conflicts and interstate
tensions, dividing lines and economic blockade. Closed borders and
ruptured ties have become the norm of life. However, a courageous act
and a courageous response hold the promise of changing the situation
to the better.
The process of the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations
that started by the initiative of the President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan last September, known as "football diplomacy," promises to
bear fruit despite all difficulties.
Over the past year with the help of our Swiss mediators and other
international partners we have advanced towards opening one of the
last closed borders in Europe and normalization of our relations
with NO preconditions. We wish to be confident that the necessary
political will can eventually leave behind the mentality of the past,
and we hope that the wisdom and courage will prevail to make the
last decisive steps. We have been most encouraged by the support of
the international community. We are well aware of the fundamental
and positive implications of the normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations and of the opening of the border for the security and
stability of the region.
Mr. President, We must reinforce the bridges between UN member-states,
working out mutually beneficial and comprehensive security and
cooperation schemes. And our common objective should be the shaping
of an environment that is safe and prosperous for all.
To meet the political, economic, environmental and social challenges,
we have to put our efforts, resources and political determination tog
d these challenges and push ahead the international development agenda.
Thank you, Mr. President.