The member of the RA NA delegation to OSCE PA, the deputy of the NA Armenia Faction Lilit Galstyan gave a speech during the Winter Meeting of the OSCE PA being held in Vienna.
“Dear colleagues,
We are all witnesses to the making of a new world architecture which requires that the strategy and mechanisms of international organizations be reviewed.
Many in my country are questioning the reputation of the international organizations, including the OSCE and its PA, believing that we have gone back on our values and commitments.
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We have to be frank and speak up about the increasing gap between the rhetoric and the reality, between statements and policies on the ground that are breeding hopelessness and disappointment.
Nearly two years have passed since the forced displacement of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. Disregarding the international resolutions, Azerbaijan launched an act of ethnic cleansing-forcing its indigenous population- more than 120.000 Armenians to leave the three-thousand-year-old homeland of their ancestors.
The OSCE Minsk group and other organizations have failed to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocidal actions and breach of international law. No measures have been taken to ensure the safe return of the displaced population to their homeland. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan continues to erase the Armenian cultural and religious heritage and identity of the region.
It is hard to believe that genocides have become “the new natural realities” in our times.
Today, behind closed doors, in violation of the international humanitarian law, Baku is conducting mock-trials against the civilian captives and the former political and military leadership of Artsakh.
The right to legal defense has been severely obstructed. There are proven reports on torture and the denial of basic legal protections.
In this regard, I call my esteemed colleagues, the Human Rights Rapporteur and the Special Representative on South Caucasus to take immediate and strong steps on this matter.
This is a fight for human fundamental rights to dignity and freedom.
Allowing Azerbaijan to act with impunity erodes the credibility of the international legal system.
I would like to highlight the urgency of deploying an OSCE PA monitoring group to Baku to document human rights violations in Azerbaijan, particularly the illegal detainment of Nagorno-Karabakh’s state and military officials. Respective letters have been sent on the matter.
I strongly believe, that commitment to declared values is the basis of a good and moral policy.
Thank you,” Lilit Galstyan said in her speech.
RA NA