Permanent Representative of Armenia to UN Zohrab Mnatsakanyan participated in an open debate on “Maintaining International Peace and Security: Reflect on History, Reaffirm the Strong Commitment to the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations” at the UN Security Council.

Mr. Mnatsakanyan delivered the following speech:

“Mr. President,

You have proposed a topic for the present open debate, which might truly deserve convocation of a full week international conference. It is a formidable task to reflect on a 70 years journey since the end of the Second World War and the birth of the United Nations. The Charter of the United Nations insists that there are no first and economy class tickets to this journey, as all nations, big or small, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. In our reflections we also recall that back in 1945 only 51 founding member states incepted the United Nations. The membership of the United Nations doubled in just five subsequent years. By 1978 it broke the threshold of 150. Today there are 193 free nations gathered in this iconic building, whether it is Palau, Lichtenstein or Armenia, the G20 or the Permanent Five, in full exercise of their self-determination to work together on a common global agenda.

The incremental growth of the membership of the United Nations to its present 193 is a source of a deeper thought about the privilege to be a self-determined free nation and about the exercise of jurisdiction over other peoples within the confines of territorial integrity of states. This dilemma has been the cause of numerous conflicts, whether in the times of decolonisation or in the aftermath of the breakup of the Soviet Union. This dilemma resolves differently in every separate case. The present number of the membership manifests the fundamental right conferred to any people to freely express their will. It is a principle of international law. It is a purpose of the United Nations. It does not necessarily need to challenge territorial integrity of a state, as many multi-ethnic nations living in harmony, democracy and justice, or as the recent example of Scotland distinctly demonstrate. Switzerland, for instance, might even remind us of an example of a free will to pool sovereignties. However, the legitimacy of a claim to govern people out of historical injustice and in a persistent environment of discrimination and intolerance is always bound to fail. If we are serious about our collective responsibility towards each other, or about our determination against atrocity crimes, we should than not allow the suppression of freedom in the name of territorial integrity.

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is one such example that awaits resolution. I speak at a time of heightened tensions in the region. Upon the instructions of my Government, I have been regularly informing this Council and the General Assembly about the situation and about our concerns. Today I once again reiterate the full conviction of Armenia that there can be no alternative to the strictly peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict. I speak at a time when the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, representing the Russian Federation, France and the United States, have just concluded a visit to Baku, Yerevan and Stepanakert in their continued efforts to foster peace. I once again reiterate Armenia’s full commitment to the peaceful settlement of this conflict on the basis of the purposes, principles and norms of the Charter of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act, and the basic principles and elements identified by the Co-chairs. We await Azerbaijan to heed the call of the Co-chairs and observe its commitments to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The unequivocal support of the international community to the agreed format of the peace talks and the efforts of the Co-chairs remains instrumental for a consolidated peace effort. We call upon all members, whether they gather in the United Nations or in other groupings, movements or organisations, to remain faithful to this support. Establishing confidence-building measures, including the withdrawal of snipers and the establishment of an investigative mechanism for the ceasefire violations, remains an immediate priority to address. We once again call upon Azerbaijan to act on establishing such measures.

Mr. President,

For my people, these latest seventy years since 1945 are also entwined with a tragedy of thirty years earlier. The harrowing experience of extermination and suffering of Armenians in 1915 prompted a prominent Polish lawyer of Jewish origin Rafael Lemkin to coin the term genocide. Subsequently, in adopting the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the international community recognised the need for a legal instrument to counter this heinous crime. However, today we can hardly claim victory over the perpetrators. The people of Rwanda, for one, would remind us of the price of inaction and silence of the international community. Let us than reflect on a denial of justice, denial to millions around the globe of the very sanctity of the right to life. Prevention remains as compelling an imperative as ever.

As for Armenians, we will commemorate in dignity the one hundred years of the Armenian genocide. We will not be alone, as many nations around the world stand in solidarity with us. We are not bitter. We have been willing to rebuild relations with our neighbour, Turkey without preconditions. We have initiated the normalisation process, which culminated in the signing of the Zurich Protocols. Our goodwill, unfortunately, has not been reciprocated.

While paying tribute to our victims, we will also celebrate life, celebrate revival and confidence, as millions of Armenians around the world have been doing through hard work. As for the denialists of the Armenian genocide, they only continue to do favour to perpetrators of subsequent genocides. I would therefore once again reflect on the words of Hitler prior to the invasion of Poland in 1939: “Who, after all speaks of the annihilation of Armenians?” To the chagrin of the denialists, millions fortunately do, including in Turkey.”