Author: Antonian Lara

The possible move to cut the funding for the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Office will have a negative impact on its A status and will clear the way for a process of reviewing the accreditation of the office sought by Azerbaijan for a long time, Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan told reporters on Saturday, noting that this status gives them an opportunity to be elected to and participate in elections of the governing bodies of international human rights institutions.

“Today we are part of the governing bodies of various institutions. It allows us to deliver speeches at such venues where countries with the B status cannot, for example, the Azerbaijani Human Rights Defender’s Office,” Tatoyan said.

“If not for our status, it is not ruled out that Azerbaijan’s efforts to make numerous complaints against us would succeed. I must say that the stronger the institution of the ombudsman, the higher the democracy in the country. Whether I like it or not, the issue is at the center of attention of international organizations. You saw how the Freedom House reacted,” the ombudsman said.

Tatoyan does not rule out that the bill seeking to reduce the funding for the Ombudsman’s Office approved by the government will be adopted by the National Assembly, stating the move is politically motivated.

“This is obviously an unconstitutional bill. If it is passed, I will immediately apply to the Constitutional Court to challenge its constitutionality. Moreover, I will immediately file a motion to the court to suspend this provision, as it will cause problems for the country’s legal security and democracy,” he said, adding that he will await the conclusions of international organizations and institutions. 

The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh on Thursday sent a memorandum to international organizations on the occasion of the visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the occupied territories of Artsakh.

The document, in particular, notes that after the end of the 44-day war imposed on Artsakh by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and mercenaries from various terrorist groups, the Azerbaijani authorities have set a course to impose a fait accompli created through the use of military force in blatant violation of norms of international law. According to the document, among the instruments for implementing this policy are the visits of the President of Azerbaijan to the seized territories, the most striking of which is Aliyev’s visit to the city of Shushi, where he made a number of statements replete with outrageous threats and militant rhetoric containing outright hatred towards the Armenian people, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

The Memorandum also states that the provocative and inflammatory nature of the visits and the accompanying statements evidence Azerbaijan’s intent to disrupt the resumption of the negotiation process on a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and to keep the conflict unsettled. Such destructive and defiant behavior of Azerbaijan should be strictly condemned by the international community, the Memorandum reads.

The document underlines that the people of Artsakh exercised their right to self-determination and established statehood in those territories. As noted in the document, the failure to respect this fundamental right is not only a violation of human rights, but is also one of the core sources of serious threats to security in the region.

The Memorandum notes that any legislative and administrative actions of Azerbaijan to change the status of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the expropriation of land and properties, the transfer of populations to the occupied territories and the incorporation of the occupied territories, are invalid under international law and cannot change their status. No territorial gains resulting from the threat or use of force should be recognized as legal.

The document notes that the current military occupation by Azerbaijan of the territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the city of Shushi, also cannot change their status. The town of Shushi is an integral part of the Artsakh Republic in a number of aspects, including territorially, culturally, economically and historically. Any attempt to seize it is a gross violation of the territorial integrity of Artsakh.

The Memorandum underlines that only a just settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict – one that will eliminate its root cause associated with Azerbaijan’s unwillingness to recognize the rights of the people of Artsakh – will reverse the consequences of the illegal use of military force by Azerbaijan and re-institute the primacy of the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes.