On January 12, RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan gave a speech at the “Voice of the South virtual summit” held within the framework of the Indian presidency of the G-20. In his remarks, Minister Mirzoyan, in particular, noted:
“Your Excellency Minister Jaishankar,
Dear Colleagues,
First, I would like to congratulate India on assuming the G-20 Presidency and express our gratitude for the invitation to participate in the Voice of the South Virtual Summit.
In New York last month, I witnessed India’s role in promoting unity and progress among UN Member States toward the need to address the challenges facing all our peoples jointly and to uphold the UN Charter and its core principles. It is heartening to see that India, with its vibrant democracy and dynamic economy, is making rapid progress in many areas. In this time of global upheaval, we appreciate India’s stabilizing performance.
In a world where threats and challenges continue to increase and phenomena of exclusion continue to grow, we must identify new ways for inclusive partnerships to mitigate negative trends and take advantage of the enormous potential of the Global Forum. In that regard, the priorities of India’s chairmanship of the G-20, from green development to technological transformation, from inclusive and sustainable growth to women-led development, etc., are prerequisites for a free and open world that is interconnected, prosperous, and secure.
Communication should be one of the priorities for creating a favorable environment for developing the countries and peoples of the Global South. As a landlocked developing country, Armenia is a long-standing advocate of promoting inclusive and impartial regional and cross-border connectivity within our region and beyond, which will unlock the trade and transit potential of the South Caucasus. Practical cooperation between landlocked and transit countries and the unblocking of all regional transport links are vital to removing political barriers to the free movement of people, goods, and services, especially in times of global economic recession and from the perspective of realizing the economic and social rights of all peoples.
In this regard, we would like to develop cooperation within the framework of the North-South connection and the Persian Gulf-Black Sea international transport corridor. Armenia considers India’s potential and prospective role in these projects significant.
Dear Colleagues,
While we are talking about communication and the free movement of people, it has been more than a month since the world witnessed a gross violation of these principles. Under the pretext of spurious environmental concerns, a group of Azerbaijani government agents has blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only lifeline connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the world. Discrediting the global environmental agenda and violating the right to free movement, Azerbaijan is holding hostage 120 thousand Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, including 30 thousand children and several thousand disabled people. Today, the people of Nagorno Karabakh are facing a humanitarian disaster due to the illegal Azerbaijani blockade. There is an acute shortage of essential goods, food, and medicine. The danger of malnutrition, especially among children, is significant. Hundreds of families on different sides of the Azerbaijani blockade remain separated.
In the current situation, we highly appreciate the unmistakable calls of the international community and, in particular, of the majority of the members of the UN Security Council during the emergency session of the UN Security Council on December 20, 2022, to end the blockade and ensure the access of international organizations to Nagorno Karabakh.
However, Azerbaijan’s continued provocations and aggressive actions show that the lack of adequate accountability mechanisms only encourages Azerbaijan to question the determination and willingness of the international community to take action. Currently, our international partners, including the G-20 members, need to exert apparent pressure on Azerbaijan to stop the inhuman blockade of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and to return to the negotiation table.
We also consider it necessary to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground and ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for relevant UN bodies.
Thank you.”
