Statement by Mr. Tigran Galstyan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN at the UNGA78 Sixth Committee under the agenda item 109: "Measures to eliminate international terrorism"

04 October, 2023

Mr. Chair,

I would like to congratulate you and the members of the Bureau and to wish you success in steering the deliberations of the Sixth Committee.

Terrorism remains a paramount challenge to the maintenance of international peace and security. Armenia is strongly committed to effective international cooperation to fight terrorism and its associated threats. To this end, we continue to actively engage with the international community to help prevent the recruitment and training of individuals for terrorism purposes.

We are concerned about the expressions of discrimination and violence that emanate from intolerance and xenophobia, and we take this opportunity to stress the urgency of curbing the proliferation of hate speech. Rise of hate speech, xenophobia and polarization have created fertile ground for recruitment of terrorists. This is particularly relevant for those societies, who for decades have been subject to state propaganda of hatred on ethnic and religious grounds and where hate crime perpetrators have been glorified as role models for the young people. This dangerous indoctrination is an early warning sign of the threat of atrocities against religious and ethnic groups and their heritage.

Armenia remains firmly committed to the global fight against terrorism and we highly value the existing cooperative platforms. Armenia continues its thorough implementation of the counter-terrorism conventions and their additional protocols.

In 2020, Armenia acceded to the 1989 UN Convention against Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, thus becoming the thirty-seventh State party to that Convention. Shortly after acceding to the Convention, our country adopted a new Criminal Code, which contains specific provisions to counter mercenary-related activities.

In February 2023, Armenia welcomed the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination. Through our collaborative efforts during the visit, Armenia endeavoured to support the important mission of the Working Group.

In its Report, the Working Group recalls that, in 2020, it expressed itself publicly about the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters from Syria in support of the armed forces of Azerbaijan during the 2020 hostilities, which has prompted Armenia to accede to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries. The Working Group further encourages Armenia to become a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which would further demonstrate its commitment to upholding its obligations under international law. On 3 October, the National Assembly of Armenia voted in favour of ratifying the Rome Statute, paving the way for Armenia’s accession to the ICC – a decision, which reflects our country’s steadfast commitment to uphold justice, promote accountability and fight impunity.

Mr. Chair,

Armenia condemns attempts to justify military violence that results in civilian casualties, displacement, and suffering by citing counter-terrorism as a pretext. Such actions not only violate international law and fundamental human rights but also undermine the very principles of justice, peace, and security that counter-terrorism efforts are meant to uphold.

Our own region is a case in point. The military force used by Azerbaijan carried out with indiscriminate shelling of the civilians has resulted in hundreds of casualties, including civilians and children and a massive influx of refugees into Armenia. In course of the past few weeks, over 100 000 ethnic Armenians have been forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the large-scale military operation launched by Azerbaijan on 19 September, which was preceded by a ten-month long blockade of the Lachin corridor and the use of starvation as a method of warfare.

Azerbaijan’s actions are demonstrative of a clear intent to use force against the Armenian population in an attempt to commit an act of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, in flagrant violation of the international law, including international humanitarian law, as well as the legally binding orders on the indication of provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia vs. Azerbaijan).

Mr. Chair,

Let me reaffirm our unwavering commitment to strengthening international cooperation, fostering dialogue, and implementing effective measures to combat terrorism and related challenges.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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