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Time in Yerevan: 11:07,   29 March 2024

It’s matter of concern that international community may afford inaction to denial of genocides – FM

It’s matter of concern that international community may afford inaction to denial of genocides – 
FM

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Armenia enlisted among its priorities the contribution to global efforts to prevent genocide and strengthening the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect. Sustained and effective functioning of the Office remains a compelling priority today, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said in his remarks delivered at the 12th Ministerial Meeting on the Responsibility to Protect.

“In 2015 Armenia led the global efforts to designate 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

By this we have provided together collectively an additional platform to develop and invest in our collective efforts for the prevention agenda. We have been consistently outlining the importance of strengthening capacities at both national, regional and international levels to detect and act on warning signs, which may lead to massive crimes, and the necessity to prevent genocide and other mass atrocities at early stages. All Genocides could have been prevented, whether it is the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide or other atrocity crimes.

Dissemination of hatred, intolerance, radicalism, war propaganda, incitement to and actual discrimination against racial, national, ethnic, religious and all other minorities, as well as targeted attacks against civilians continue to shape present realities in different parts of the world. The international community, the United Nations and its Member States are still ill-prepared to respond in a timely and decisive manner to these signals of trouble”, the Armenian FM said.

According to him, it is a matter of serious concern that the international community may afford inaction to the language of threats, wherein denial and justification of past genocides, laced with aggressive and abusive vocabulary of certain political leaders about “lessons” that victims across generations should not forget. “It is most disturbing. Future perpetrators interpret silence to such barbaric disregard of the norms of a civilized world as a license to kill”, he added.

“Under no circumstances sovereignty can be a safe haven for perpetrating gross and grave human rights violations against those who are peacefully exercising their human rights, including the right of self-determination. No nation can be afforded the right to kill behind the thick curtain of sovereignty. The responsibility to protect is critical in this regard, as it reminds that sovereignty is not a license for impunity but a responsibility. Sovereignty should be exactly the primary and most functional level for the effective implementation of the responsibility to protect. International cooperation to strengthen national capacities to protect remains important as ever”, the FM said.

He added that respect for human rights is an integral part of a democratic society. “It is important to implement human rights obligations and commitments and to cooperate closely with the UN human rights mechanisms. In this context, it is also important to stress the role of the civil society in advocacy, early warning, training and education. And once again I want to emphasize the important role that the Global Center has been continuously playing in this regard. Such priorities were underlined in the resolution on the Prevention of Genocide presented by Armenia and unanimously adopted by the Human Rights Council in June 2020.

Since 2015 Armenia has been regularly hosting Global Forums against the Crime of Genocide, gathering prominent scholars and practitioners of genocide prevention from across the world. This is our unwavering commitment and contribution to building a global community against the crime of genocide and other mass atrocities”, he added.

 

 








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