Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday raised crucial human rights concerns, among them the return of all Armenian prisoners of war and Azerbaijan’s continued aggression against Armenians, with leaders of the U.N. Human Rights Commission and the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Meeting with ICRC President Peter Maurer in Geneva on Thursday, Mirzoyan stressed the importance of the organization’s activities towards resolving the humanitarian issues in Artsakh.
The foreign minister emphasized the urgency of repatriating 38 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan, as well as revealing the cases of enforced disappearances and the fate of missing persons.
Mirzoyan also stressed the need for ensuring the unimpeded access of international organizations to Nagorno Karabakh and their active involvement on the ground.
Mirzoyan, who is in Geneva to attend the 49th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which he addressed on Monday, met with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michel Bachelet.
Presenting the situation resulting from the 44-day war unleashed by the Azerbaijani armed forces against Artsakh, Mirzoyan stressed the importance of unhindered involvement of international organizations for the full settlement of humanitarian issues in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the implementation of humanitarian missions by the UN High Commissioner.
Touching upon the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and its people, Mirzoyan underlined that it was included gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, documented in detail and presented to international law enforcement organizations.
Mirzoyan and Bachelet also discussed the pre-meditated acts of vandalism and destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in the territories currently under Azerbaijani control.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed the importance of Armenia’s leadership in promoting the agenda of prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity.
On Thursday, Mirzoyan took part in an a special exhibition marking the 30th anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the United Nations.