The Right to Return of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians – Artak Beglaryan’s Speech for the UN Human Rights Council Side Event Hosted by CSI
On September 29, in Geneva, within the framework of the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Artak Beglaryan, President of the Artsakh Union, delivered a speech at a side event dedicated to the right of return of the people of Artsakh. The event was organized by International Christian Solidarity and also featured speeches by Swiss National Council members Erich Vontobel and Nicolas Walder, as well as internationally renowned lawyer Paul Williams.
Following the introductory remarks of the host organization’s representative, Abi McDougal, the Swiss parliamentarians presented the essence and objectives of the Swiss Peace Initiative. They stressed that there can be no lasting and just peace in the region without the return of the people of Artsakh. Paul Williams praised the significance of the initiative, underlining the need to clarify the core issues and conditions of return in the subsequent stages.
Artak Beglaryan emphasized the strong will of the displaced people of Artsakh to return to their homeland, highlighting the importance of international support in this process. He noted that the legal grounds are fully in place and that only political will is needed to ensure the return.
Read also
The complete video recording of the event is available at the following
The complete text of Artak Beglaryan’s speech is presented below.
Excellencies, colleagues,
First of all, I would like to thank Christian Solidarity International for organizing this event and the Swiss parliamentarians, especially Erich Vontobel and Nicolas Walder, for raising the voice of my people and of humanity.
I speak today on behalf of a people who, until recently, lived on their ancestral land for millennia — the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) — and who now face the gravest challenge to their existence.
What Happened
Following the 2020 Azerbaijani aggression and partial ethnic cleansing, in 2023 the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh was subjected to a blockade by Azerbaijan lasting almost 10 months, followed by a military assault that forced over 120,000 people to flee their homes in less than a week.
Independent voices across the world — including the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, and the UN’s first Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan Méndez — assessed these events as genocide, while Freedom House, the European Parliament and other institutions assessed them as ethnic cleansing.
Our people wanted to stay and live peacefully on their land. Yet the Russian peacekeepers failed to ensure security guarantees, and the international community — particularly the UN Security Council — did not act effectively to prevent mass atrocity crimes. Geopolitical rivalries overshadowed the fundamental duty to protect a vulnerable civilian population.
What We Want
Today, our demand is simple, just and consistent with international law:
We want to return to our homes.
Return not as individuals scattered and afraid, but as a community — to live securely, with dignity, collectively, peacefully and sustainably.
Notably, a survey recently conducted among the Nagorno-Karabakh refugees in Armenia showed that 87% want to return to their homeland. This is not an abstract political claim — it is a concrete and measurable expression of the will of a people.
What are the Foundations for the Right to Return
Our right to return is not a matter of politics — it is a matter of law.
Key international conventions recognize the right of all displaced persons to return to their homes. More specifically, on 17 November 2023, the UN International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to ensure the prompt, safe and unimpeded return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.
Additionally, on 11 October 2023, 40 member states of the UN Human Rights Council, including Armenia and Switzerland, as well as three permanent members of the UN Security Council — France, the UK and the USA — jointly urged Azerbaijan to create conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of those wishing to go home.
We also highly appreciate the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh, based on Motion 24.4259 passed by the Swiss Parliament, calling for an international peace forum on Nagorno-Karabakh. This is exactly the type of inclusive and neutral dialogue mechanism we need to prepare the ground for a genuine and rights-based solution. Importantly, it is a binding motion for the Swiss Government, and our people expect certain progress in this regard.
What is the Current Situation
Sadly, despite these strong legal and political foundations, our people remain ignored and marginalized.
Recent documents, including the Washington-mediated declaration and agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on August 8, speak of “peace,” but they say nothing about the rights, security and future of the primary victims and party to this conflict — the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.
It is certainly good to see that some issues of the conflict are settled through those documents. However, a peace process that excludes the affected community cannot be called comprehensive or sustainable. True peace must be inclusive and just, and that means placing the safe, collective, dignified and sustainable return of our people at the center of any settlement.
What are the Conditions for Return
For return to be meaningful and sustainable, certain conditions must be met:
- Strong international security guarantees, including a mandated presence on the ground to ensure civilian protection.
- Exclusion of Azerbaijani genocidal control to prevent possible renewed crimes.
- Joint international and local administration to build trust, oversee reconstruction and ensure and monitor human rights.
- Safe and reliable communication by land and air with Armenia.
- Demilitarization of surrounding Azerbaijani areas to create a genuine zone of peace.
- Eradication of Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian hate policy, which continuously fuels crimes against Armenians.
- International efforts for justice and true reconciliation to build the foundations for sustainable peace.
Before ensuring all of these conditions, a number of other urgent steps must be implemented, including:
A. International monitoring of cultural heritage and property rights must be launched, as ordered by the ICJ, to stop ongoing destruction and illegal settlement activities by Azerbaijan.
B. While we work for return, the international community must help preserve the identity, culture and dignity of our displaced people living in Armenia, because preserving the community today is essential for rebuilding it tomorrow.
C. All Armenian state hostages must be released from Azerbaijani prisons.
D. Certain international sanctions must be introduced against Azerbaijan and the Aliyev regime to show that they do not enjoy impunity for mass atrocity crimes.
E. An international mechanism and platform for ensuring our rights and implementing the ICJ order must be established to prepare the ground for our return, as is being done by the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh.
F. The legitimate representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh people must be engaged in genuine dialogue and discussions through the mentioned international mechanism. Such representatives can either be democratically elected parliament members or those delegated by them.
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
The right to return is not only about going back to a territory — it is about restoring a people’s collective and individual rights, their future, their culture and their very existence.
I lost my father and my eyesight as a result of the 1990s war. I lost my mother due to those tragedies. Together with my two children, I have been forcibly displaced from my homeland and narrowly escaped Azerbaijani abduction. However, I do not hate the Azerbaijani people, but I hate the criminals. I still believe it is possible to build true peace and reconciliation between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, if the voices of all victims are heard and their rights are fully respected.
Hence, we call on the Swiss Government and the entire UN system to take concrete steps to implement the ICJ’s binding order, to support the Swiss Peace Initiative and to ensure that justice — not geopolitics — shapes the outcome of this conflict.
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians are ready to return home. What we need now is the world’s political will to make that return safe, dignified, unimpeded and sustainable.
Thank you.
