Statement by H.E. Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN, at the Security Council Arria Formula Meeting “75 Years from the End of the Second World War on European Soil”

08 May, 2020

Mr. President,

We thank the Estonian Presidency of the Security Council for organizing this meeting to reflect on the end of WWII in Europe and the lessons learned for preventing future atrocities. I would also like to thank the distinguished briefers: The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mr. Josep Borrell, Under-Secretary-General Ms. Rosemary DiCarlo, and Professor Timothy Snyder for their remarks.

As we commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we remember and pay tribute to all those, who lost their lives for a peaceful future to “save the succeeding generations from the scourge of war”.

The Armenian people, who went through the horrors of genocide committed under the cover of the WWI, demonstrated selfless courage and enormous sacrifice during the Second World War.

Almost six hundred thousand Armenians were called to the Soviet Army, more than half of them never returned to their homes. Four Marshals, one Admiral of the Fleet and 60 Generals were among the Armenians who fought in the battlefields of the WWII.

Thousands of Diaspora Armenians are known for their outstanding contribution to the Allied forces in different parts of the world, including those in the Resistance movement.

The tragic history of the past calamities stands as an important lesson to be learned and remembered.

A sign in the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC with a notorious quotation “who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” is yet another stark reminder of the threats of impunity and the failure of international order at the time. It has been said so many times before that those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it.

Today’s reflection on the lessons of the past is taking place at a time, when there is a decline in many ways - from a crisis of the global health system caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to shrinking of multilateralism, solidarity and global cooperation.

Despite major efforts of the United Nations in promoting peace and security over the past 75 years, we continue to face armed conflicts, destabilizing military build-ups, rise in nationalism and authoritarian trends, as well as hate speech and hate crimes being committed, including in our immediate neighborhood. Violations of human rights, fundamental freedoms and particularly the suppression of the right of people for self-determination, is the underlying cause of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which Azerbaijan continuously misrepresents. It needs to be reminded that the inalienable right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination through legally binding free expression of will is the fundamental principle and basic premise of the resolution of the conflict.

Mr. President,

Armenia is strongly committed to multilateral cooperation for peace, development and human rights. We have unequivocally supported the Secretary-General’s appeal for global ceasefire and we commend his efforts in responding to multiple challenges posed by the global crises.

Armenia carries a special duty and moral imperative to help consolidate international efforts aimed at prevention of Genocide. We stand ready to continue our close cooperation with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect in strengthening early warning capacities of the UN system to prevent future atrocities.

In conclusion, let me once again pay tribute to the memory of heroes who fought and achieved hard-won victory in 1945, and congratulate the veterans, all friends and colleagues on the occasion of this landmark anniversary.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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