On December 14, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan delivered a speech, presented below, within the framework of the World Refugee Forum.
“I welcome the excellent organization of the World Forum on Refugees. It takes place in a crisis marked by conflicts around the world, which leads to a sharp increase in the number of forcibly displaced persons.
Unfortunately, the South Caucasus was not spared from such tragic developments. As a result of the use of force by Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh has undergone ethnic cleansing. Over several days, more than 105 thousand Armenians were forcibly displaced from the land of their ancestors. Another 26,000 Armenians were displaced from Nagorno Karabakh as a result of the devastating war of 2020. It should be noted that the recently adopted decision of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations obliged Azerbaijan to “ensure that the persons who left Nagorno Karabakh and wish to return can do so safely, unimpeded, and quickly.” Armenia welcomes this decision and fully supports implementing this legally binding decision.
Since there are currently no adequate conditions to guarantee the safety and rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia continues to take all necessary steps to meet the needs of the refugees.
Armenia is committed to taking clear steps to ensure access to housing for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, promote equal access to economic opportunities, protect the rights to education and include refugee children in Armenia’s education system, and ensure the provision of essential health services and medicines for all refugees.
A humanitarian crisis of such dimensions requires a comprehensive international response. For this purpose, in October, in close cooperation between the Government of Armenia and UNHCR, the program to respond to the needs of refugees in Armenia was launched, bringing together 60 partners around the world. In this regard, we once again call for international support.
I want to add that since 2020, the Armenian government has provided “certificates for the purchase of apartments” to the refugees forcibly displaced by Azerbaijan as a result of the massacres in Baku, Sumgait, and Kirovabad. About 360,000 were forcibly displaced from Azerbaijan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Until then, as a result of systematic violence, Armenians had to leave Nakhichevan and other settlements in Azerbaijan. All the rights of these refugees must be protected.
In this context, it is essential to note that, according to the last census of the Soviet Union, about 500,000 Armenians lived in Soviet Azerbaijan. Today, due to the violence, use of force, hatred, and xenophobia by the Azerbaijani authorities, there are almost no Armenians in Azerbaijan.
Recalling the call of the High Commissioner not to politicize the humanitarian platform, I want to draw attention to specific promises made by the Azerbaijani delegation. Since its independence, the Republic of Azerbaijan has never made such a claim and is currently distorting history to justify its territorial ambitions against the Republic of Armenia. The international community must unequivocally reject it.”
