Marking 25th anniversary of UN membership, Armenia pledges continued support
Taking the podium at the United Nations General Assembly today, the President of Armenia pledged support to the Secretary-General’s priorities as the country marks the 25th anniversary of its succession to the UN.
President Serzh Sargsyan spoke extensively on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – listing it as being among the various challenges that Armenia has “withstood with dignity” –recommitting the country to its peaceful resolution.
Mr. Sargsyan called the conflict a human rights issue, saying it can be resolved exclusively through one of the fundamental and inalienable human rights – “the people's right to self-determination.”
Noting that next year the UN would mark the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the President said that Armenia would at that time table and invite all member States to support a new initiative towards the international recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Turning to the Middle East, he expressed great pain over the humanitarian situation in Syria that has caused the civilian population great suffering, including the country’s Armenian community.
“Within its means, Armenia strives to mitigate the suffering of the Syrian people by providing humanitarian assistance. We also express our willingness to engage into possible discussions on the peace-making efforts in Syria under the UN auspices and with an appropriate mandate,” he stated.