Statement by Mrs. Sofya Margaryan, Legal Adviser, Permanent Mission of Armenia to the UN, at the UNGA Sixth Committee/Agenda Item 114 “Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism”

08 October, 2020

Mr. Chair,

I would like to congratulate you and the Bureau on your election and to wish you much success in steering the work of the Committee.

terrorism continues to pose grave threat to the maintenance of international peace and security and the international community must continue to stand united and work hand in hand to counter this global scourge.

Armenia is fully committed to supporting the global efforts for elimination of international terrorism. We have been taking a large number of practical measures to improve border and customs security, to combat money-laundering and terrorism financing, in support of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and other counter-terrorism commitments. To this end, we have been working with our partners to improve and amplify efforts at the national, regional and sub-regional levels. Armenia’s ongoing cooperation with the Organization of Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE), the relevant structural units of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), as well as the Council of Europe has played an important role in promoting and facilitating cooperation, including through sharing best practices and building stronger capacities to address the threats of terrorism.

Armenia supports the work of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism in strengthening system-wide coordination and coherence of counter-terrorism efforts. We are also pleased to note that our growing partnership with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) has translated into tangible results.

International terrorism is a global challenge that transcends borders and boundaries across countries, regions and continents, carrying the risk of a most destructive and destabilizing potential for every country. As terrorists seek to exploit divisions, conflicts and other vulnerabilities to advance their criminal aims, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated challenges have been offering new opportunities for terrorists. This is particularly relevant for societies, whose radicalization stems from the policies of identity-based hatred and intolerance led and cultivated by the state authorities. Needless to say that such incitement and radicalization provides the most fertile soil for the virulent seeds of extremism and terrorism.

The situation in our region is a case in point. Amidst the outbreak of an unprecedented global pandemic, Azerbaijan, with the support and encouragement of Turkey, is conducting large-scale acts of military aggression with a clear genocidal intent, leading to the most intense and destructive escalation in the region since 1990s. Today, the lives of thousands of civilians and the ancient Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh have come under imminent existential threat, as indiscriminate attacks with extensive use of heavy artillery, drones and even prohibited weapons are being conducted in flagrant violation of the international law, including international humanitarian law.

The scope and the nature of the attacks, as well as the available factual evidence unequivocally demonstrates that the offensive was indeed, premeditated and planned well in advance. Over the past few weeks, the international media have been extensively reporting on the role of Turkey in deploying foreign terrorist fighters and mercenaries from the territories of Syria presently under Turkish control. These reports have been subsequently confirmed by high-level officials of several Member States. The presence of Turkish-backed mercenaries and terrorists and their direct involvement in the ongoing hostilities against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is an established and documented fact.

Azerbaijan, together with its enabling state, bears direct responsibility and legal liability for the crime of aggression and for sponsoring the flow of international terrorists into the region, in violation of numerous UN resolutions on countering, preventing and suppressing terrorism and the movement of foreign terrorist fighters. Armenia condemns, in the strongest terms, all attempts of turning the conflict zone into a new launch pad for international terrorism.

I thank you.

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