The member of the RA NA delegation to OSCE PA Lilit Galstyan gave a speech in the 32nd OSCE PA Annual Session going on in Portugal. The RA NA deputy noted:
“Dear Colleagues,
The Genocide Convention, ratified in 1951, established a framework for preventing and punishing the gravest crimes against humanity. Yet today we witness a grim reality where these commitments are disregarded, and international institutions fail to prevent atrocities with tragic consequences.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exemplifies this failure.
Read also
In 2023, over 120,000 indigenous Armenians were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh following a deliberate blockade that cut off access to essential supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel. An entire community has been uprooted from its ancestral homeland.
For the first time in centuries, Nagorno-Karabakh stands empty of its native Armenian population. Homes, schools, cultural and religious heritage is eliminated or is under destruction. This is not merely a humanitarian crisis; it is a textbook case of ethnic cleansing, occurring within the OSCE’s area of responsibility.
Let me emphasize: Azerbaijan’s aggression cannot be treated as a closed chapter the conflict remains painfully ongoing unless-
• the 150,000 indigenous Armenians, under international guaranties, are allowed to exercise their undeniable right to return.
• Meanwhile, Azerbaijani troops occupy 200 square kilometers of Armenia’s sovereign territory, with the leader of the authoritarian regime claiming parts of Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan.”
• Nagorno-Karabakh’s former leaders and Armenian prisoners of war remain in Azerbaijani custody under troubling conditions, amid credible reports of torture and sham trials violating international norms.
This is not an isolated tragedy, but a broader pattern of institutional failure we are witnessing today in Gaza – the global response to the unfolding genocidal horrors remains uneven and paralyzed by geopolitical interests.
When the pain of some is acknowledged while others are ignored, we erode the universal foundations of justice and human dignity.
Therefore, I call on the Assembly and my esteemed colleagues to:
1. Demand the immediate, unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war and detainees, and ensure OSCE international observers monitor legal proceedings.
2. Support the urgent deployment of a UNESCO fact-finding mission to document and protect Nagorno-Karabakh’s endangered cultural heritage.
Upholding international law to ensure human rights and dignity for all is not just a moral duty but an obligation.
Let us not silence the voices of the oppressed.
Dear colleagues,
The party I belong to raise the voices of millions, who expect a long-lasting peace based on fair solutions, not on aggression and genocidal ideas.
Instead of groundless accusations, I will recommend my colleague from Azerbaijan to demonstrate political will allowing international observers to monitor the sham trials in Baku, and destruction of Armenian traces and heritage in NK.
Thank you.”
RA NA