The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) is in The Hague on October 18-19 to try a case from Azerbaijan against Armenia. Azerbaijan has filed a case in the UN International Court of Justice, accusing Armenia of violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination. Yeghishe Kirakosyan assured the court that Azerbaijan repeats all the steps of Armenia in a mirror image.
“Azerbaijan’s application is based on the principle of false equivalence. It is tactically designed to give the impression that Azerbaijan is the victim.” He explained that when Armenia raised the issue that Azerbaijan spreads hate speech, Azerbaijan did the same. When Armenia files a complaint about the destruction of cultural heritage, Azerbaijan does the same. Armenia appealed to the court, and Azerbaijan did so exactly one week later.
Yeghishe Kirakosyan, not wanting to concentrate and present details to the court, assured that Azerbaijan is talking about the events in Khojaly, distorting the reality and added, “Is it worth talking about the genocide of ethnic Armenians in Gandzak, Maragha, and Sumgait? No, I will not do that. Now is not the time for that. I have no idea how effective it will be for the court.”
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He also stated that Azerbaijan spreads false information about who and for what purpose the mines were placed on the borders of Artsakh and detailed, “Hundreds of thousands of mines were planted by Azerbaijan in the 1990s. We have all suffered from landmines. For decades, my country tried to carry out complete demining, but Azerbaijan subsequently banned humanitarian missions, knowing that the main beneficiaries were people of Armenian descent. And only now, when those people have been displaced, has Azerbaijan suddenly discovered the value of demining.”
Yeghishe Kirakosyan stated that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly stated that he is ready to meet with the Azerbaijani leadership, including to discuss the issue of maps. “We have already provided maps to Azerbaijan on two occasions, but we have no obligation to do so. We are ready to do that to solve humanitarian problems. But even now, when we are on trial, Azerbaijan is violating the ceasefire, invading the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, continuously targeting civilian settlements and civilians.”
The hearings in the UN court ended after the Armenian side’s counterarguments. They will continue on Tuesday. The representatives of Azerbaijan will present their positions at 12:00 Yerevan time, and in the evening at 19:00, the court will hear the objections of the Armenian side.
Tatev Harutyunyan
