The member of the RA NA delegation to PA Lilit Galstian’s second speech at the 33rd OSCE PA Assembly
In this city of peace and justice we are having a debate on one of the most discussed issues internationally.
I have to be frank, many in my country question the reputation of law and the credibility of the international order itself.
But international law does not weaken overnight. It is weakened every time violations go unnoticed. Each time political convenience prevails over legal obligation, or we apply standards selectively.
The growing distance between our commitments and the choices we make should concern us all.
How can we claim to be defenders of democracy, security and peace, when we are surrounded by wars, when by conducting a policy of double standards we are refusing to acknowledge violations, while the gap between the commitments and the reality is dramatically widening.
It is not easy to speak about the shared values and principles in a geopolitical environment when we are witnessing the continuous erosion of these very values.
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The forced displacement of more than 120,000 indigenous Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh did not happen because of the absence of international law. The aggression by Azerbaijan and the subsequent ethnic cleansing, revealed the inadequacy of our collective response. Over the past 6 years Azerbaijan has repeatedly ignored International Conventions and resolutions, including ICJ and IC Courts binding decisions for the immediate lift of the blockade, securing the safe return of the displayed native population, condemning the destruction of Armenian legacy, the ongoing sham trials of former political and military leaders of Artsakh.
Dear colleagues, it’s absolutely evident, credibility is eroded when it’s principles and regulations are not defended and violations are met with silence.
Let us reaffirm that international law is not negotiable, and shared principles are not optional.
Our principles are as strong as our willingness to defend them.