Armenian NGOs urge the UN not to move the UNDP Regional Office to Istanbul
15:44 19.01.2013
The representatives of the civil society of Armenia have addressed a
letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with regard to the possible
transfer of the UNDP European Regional Office from Bratislava,
Slovakia, to Istanbul, Turkey.
The letter runs as follows:
`We consider inappropriate, unethical and inexpedient to ensure the
regional office of such an important organization as is the United
Nations Development Program to a country that:
– has committed genocide – the genocide against Armenians
living on their own historic motherlands, and parts of the Ottoman
Empire, that started in Istanbul on April 24, 1915. Turkey committed
also massacres of other national minorities, including Greeks and
Assyrians. All of these crimes are until today blatantly denied by the
Turkish authorities, despite the fact that the Armenian Genocide of
1915 has been recognized and condemned by a number of UN member
states;
– for over 20 years has been keeping Armenia’s land borders
under a blockade that has tremendous negative impact on the Armenian
economy, thus cutting Armenia’s, as a landlocked country, closest
access to the sea;
– regardless of all the protests has preserved Article 301 of
the Criminal Code, which restricts the freedom of speech and the
rights of national minorities, Moreover, intolerance towards national
minorities is officially stimulated and leads to intermittent inside
conflicts and assassinations of representatives of national
minorities, including the murder of prominent public figures, such as
the well-known reporter of Armenian origin Hrant Dink;
– has no diplomatic relations with countries in the region,
including countries that are in the UNDP Bratislava Regional center
jurisdiction. This fact will be a major hindrance to the participation
of Armenia, including the non-governmental organizations’ delegations
in the activities of the UNDP.
– and finally, is located in a less stable region, given the
armed conflict in Turkey’s neighboring countries and the continuing
problems of Turkey with the states of the region, as well.
It is quite obvious that in the event of the transfer of UNDP Regional
Center to Turkey, its efficiency and its cooperation and its
cooperation with the countries of the regional will immensely
decrease.
We realize that the financial support to UNDP by Turkey is
significant, however, UN has always demonstrated its adherence to
priorities of justice and fairness and human rights above all other
priorities including the financial ones.
We hope that the United Nations will stay committed to its principles
and will take into account the aforementioned obstacles and risks in
regards to the possible transfer of UNDP Regional center to Turkey.’
The letter was signed by a number of NGOs that actively cooperate with
the UN structures.