The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has concluded hearings on October 18th and 19th on Azerbaijan’s lawsuit against Armenia. Sean Murphy, representing the interests of the Armenian side, responding to the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Armenian side had planted mines in order to harm the ethnic Azeris, who could not return to their homeland for that reason.
“When a mine explodes, it does not discriminate, does it harm a specific ethnic group when it explodes, or is it a danger to the public at all? So, the basis of this appeal cannot be the intention to harm a specific ethnic group as presented by the Azerbaijani side.” Sean Murphy stressed that in this case, the burden of proof falls on Azerbaijan.
He noted that in November 2020 and June 2021, the International Mine Action Agency carried out demining operations in the mentioned settlements, and the maps they provided prove that only a small portion of those territories is covered by mines as opposed to what Azerbaijan presented- that Nagorno-Karabakh is surrounded by mines.
To conclude, the professor assured that Azerbaijan’s demands are not sufficient for the application of an intermediate measure. Professor Larry Martin, representing Armenian interests, noted that by submitting this application, Azerbaijan hopes that the court will put an equal sign between these two applications and impose equal obligations on both parties. He insisted that there was no reason to put an equal sign here.
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Professor Martin assured that Azerbaijan uses the well-known “what about you” technique to spread misinformation, as if asking them “what you would say.” In response, the professor said, “The allegations are barren. There aren’t enough arguments on the basis of which interim measures can be applied to Armenia.”
Yeghishe Kirakosyan, representing the interests of the Republic of Armenia in the UN International Court of Justice, concluding the objections of the Armenian side and the speeches made during the oral hearings, asked the Hague Tribunal to reject Azerbaijan’s application and not to apply an intermediate measure.
The President of the Court announced that the Hague Tribunal will make a decision on the applications of Armenia and Azerbaijan as soon as possible.
Tatev Harutyunyan
