YEREVAN. – Mandate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) does not envision conducting an investigation into the conflicting countries’ violations of the norms of humanitarian law, said Zara Amatuni, the communications officer of the ICRC Yerevan Office, in Armenia’s capital city.

She noted this commenting, at the request of Armenian News-NEWS.am am, on the statements by the relevant Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) state agencies, and regarding the numerous cases of Azerbaijan’s violation of the International humanitarian law (IHL), especially during the recent escalation of the Karabakh conflict.

“We [i.e. the ICRC] record any message or information we have received on violations of the IHL, [and] which may indicate the violation of its norms” Amatuni said. “Subsequently, the ICRC conveys all these observations to the responsible party, [and] through confidential dialogue.

“We don’t have a mandate to conduct an investigation, or to participate in the criminal proceeding. 

“The ICRC seeks to provide assistance to those affected as a result of the conflict, and along with that, to remind—within the framework of dialogue—the [conflicting] parties of their obligations to uphold the IHL provisions during military actions.”