In front of the UN office in Armenia, the guests of the program “Areresum” (“Confrontation”) were Artak Beglaryan and Arman Tatoyan, the head of the Center for Law and Justice “Tatoyan” Foundation, former RA human rights defender.
The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) priority is that every child in need is a goal for the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Why do they not reach the children of Artsakh at the moment? One of the purposes of the UN World Food Program is to support the population in emergencies. Why is this goal of paying attention to everyone not implemented for Artsakh?
Artak Beglaryan, the adviser to the Minister of State of Artsakh, former human rights defender of Artsakh, and former Minister of State, met with Christine Weygand, the acting coordinator of the UN Armenian office, the day before.
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During the “Aravot” “Areresum” program, we asked Artak Beglaryan if he tried to get the answers during the conversation. “We have asked the mentioned and many other questions. Ms. Weygand is the head of UNICEF’s Armenian office, and at the same time, she is also the acting head of the UN’s Armenian office. The main answer was that she does not have the mandate and authority to answer those questions; she can convey our questions, positions, and proposals to the UN. But those questions are very legitimate. And these are not only the obligations of the UN but of the entire international community.”
The other guest, Arman Tatoyan, head of the Center for Law and Justice “Tatoyan” Foundation and former human rights defender of the Republic of Armenia, addressed the question: why the response of the international community to the humanitarian crisis created in Artsakh is milder than expected, they address it in briefings and tweet on the subject, there were only a few higher-level announcements. Tatoyan answered, “Of course, the reaction was weak. Various, also important, countries have made announcements at the level of Foreign Ministers or spokespersons. But these are not the tools with which they can restrain Azerbaijan, and we see that.” He emphasized the need for steps to help end the atmosphere of impunity in Azerbaijan.
“They are considering this problem in the Russian domain, which is one of the directions of the unacceptable Western propaganda that the Russian peacekeepers are responsible for; therefore, let them solve this issue themselves. To some extent, they also consider this an opportunity to attack the Russian Federation in the political conflict, which, unfortunately, is happening at our expense, Artak Beglaryan said. Emphasizing that, despite Russia’s full responsibility, it does not mean that the rest of the countries and bodies of the international community avoid their responsibility in any way. Of course, some problems also depend on us: the disorganized non-unity of RA, the Diaspora, and the entire Armenian community, which means that we are not using our potential effectively… also the question, if there are a few hundred in the Armenian society, at most a few thousand people are taking to the streets with this issue, it is an indicator for the same international structures or heads of state that the situation is not so acute, it is not such an important issue for the Armenian society, and therefore they are not paying due attention.”
Nevertheless, the solution to the problem is really within the Russian response. According to point 6 of the statement of November 9, “Lachin Corridor (5 km wide), which will ensure the connection of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and at the same time will bypass the city of Shushi, remains under the control of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation.” However, apart from the Russian MFA spokesperson’s answer to the question raised in the briefing, there was no response. Russian political scientists explain this as following: “Statements do not solve the issue here. There were statements by the USA and France, but did anything change after that? No, because the settlement of the issue is in the realm of negotiations between Moscow and Baku. And they carried out those negotiations during this time.”
Arman Tatoyan answered the question: what is the explanation for Russia’s silence? “When we were in front of the Russian embassy as part of the action, we clearly stated what we expected from Russia. Of course, I agree that, in a broad sense, this is not a matter of the level of statements. But concrete actions are needed. You quoted from the tripartite declaration: it is obvious that there is a sphere of responsibility. People are under siege. And the issue of the mandate of the peacekeepers is fundamental. When we study the mandate of international peacekeepers and how it is implemented, our expectations increase regarding the protection of people, opening the way.”
Beglaryan later remarked: “The lack of response or the mildness of the Russian peacekeepers raises serious questions.” Although he also agreed with Carnegie Center analyst Kirill Krivosheev’s observation that “Russian peacekeepers are trapped. it is already under question whether their mission will be extended after 2025, and if they use force against Azerbaijani activists now, that issue will be closed for good.”
“Yes, the Russian peacekeepers were well trapped, and for months they set and used those traps in various ways. Now is the biggest trap for them. That is why I think it is not Russian intention but rather Russian incompetence that is problematic. Now the issue should be resolved by the international community, with the mandate of the UN, because only the UN is authorized to issue a mandate for a peacekeeping mission and clarify the boundaries, functions, etc. of that mandate. That’s why we are raising our voice to the UN.”
Anna ISRAELYAN
