Ms KARAPETYAN (Armenia) – The ugly face of terrorism is shown in the barbaric and inhumane actions committed by such terrorist groups as ISIL, Al-Nusra and others. Those actions have kept us all shocked over the past few years. The terrorist groups have challenged the whole civilised world and the values and principles we cherish. They have generated a huge amount of outrage and galvanised a strong response to counter this scourge.
What seemed to be far from Europe today knocks on the doors of the capitals of the continent, such as Paris and Brussels. Even before the terrorist acts in Europe, many experts in the field warned that the volunteers who joined ISIL and other groups, and received spiritual and military training in the Middle East bloodshed, would be tempted to export the violence – the “jihad” as they call it – to their countries of origin. This is what Paris and Brussels recently encountered, and this is what Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have faced in the beginning of April.
All Europe was shocked by the horrific scenes we saw: civilians killed while enjoying dinner, a concert or the theatre; and people who were just going on with their journeys, flying home on business or for fun. We saw the pictures of them being killed. Was it their fault? What is the fault of all of us? How can we protect our civilians? The appalling images of elderly people being tortured, maimed and killed in their homes by special forces; the ISIS-style executions by servicemen and the beheadings videotaped and circulated on social media; the mutilated bodies of the soldiers; a kid killed in the schoolyard – all these horrible crimes were executed by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the people and defenders of Nagorno-Karabakh. The ISIL style is evident. The Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have credible reports that Azerbaijani forces with previous ISIL and Al-Nusra experience committed many of these monstrous acts. The similarities in the cruelty speak for themselves.
The ability to commit crimes with impunity gives birth to new crimes. Ignorance of a scourge in one part of Europe may encourage the violence in others. Joint and concerted action is needed to eradicate it everywhere, once and for all. I send my deepest condolences to the victims’ families.
