Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, participated in the 5th Global Forum “Against the Crime of Genocide” held in Yerevan, delivering his speech during the high-level segment of the event.
“Even days ago, on December 9, the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, even three days before and after that, today, in various corners of the world, particularly in zones of armed conflict, we are witnessing genocidal acts, manifestations and signals that point to the emergence of new crimes against humanity.
Regrettably, the international community tends to pay more attention and talk about genocides and other mass atrocities only after they have already happened and become established facts. We witnessed this in our region not only over 110 years ago in case of the Armenian Genocide but also literally last year, when it seemed that the world could clearly see enough risk factors that could lead to irreversible consequences.
Unfortunately, we were unable to prevent, and today we are witnessing the irreversible consequences. This is one of the examples where the response of international institutions was not proportional to the risk factors and the situation on the ground. And the most significant one of these risk factors, the spread of hatred, ultimately turned from hate speech into a crime.
The current situation in the world and the dangerous trends of genocidal risks should make us find more effective ways to save lives. The heavy bureaucratic machinery must become more sensitive and flexible, not only to ensure an effective response, but also to demonstrate equal treatment towards all.
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The protection of national, racial and ethnic groups must remain at the core of the international human rights system.”
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia