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The member of the RA NA delegation Tsovinar Vardanyan gave a speech at the discussion of the emergency item included in the agenda of the 146^th Forum of the Inter-Parliamentary Union being held in Bahrain.

“Ladies and gentlemen,

We are discussing crises and human tragedies involving large numbers of people and in this context the emergency item “Raising awareness and calling for action on the serious humanitarian crises affecting the peoples of Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Yemen and other countries, and on the particular vulnerability of women and children.”

We, parliamentarians, members of the oldest and largest inter-parliamentary forum, should feel responsible for all the sufferings and loss that regular people, especially women, elderly and children encounter during wars, climate change and other disasters.

But we should address not only great calamities, but also crises with lesser scale, such as humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, resulting from Azerbaijan`s closure of Lachin corridor, the only way to the outer world. The situation has left approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, including around 30,000 children, without access to essential goods and services. They have been deprived of life-saving medication and health care, as humanitarian aid delivered by the Red Cross and peacekeepers has not met demand. Disruptions to the supply of electricity and gas have created extreme hardship.

Despite the European Court of Human Rights applied measures requiring Azerbaijan to lift the blockade, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights urgently called for it to be unblocked, and the UN International Court of Justice Decision that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded movement through the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan continues to keep the corridor closed.

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation yesterday stated that Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh may integrate into Azerbaijani society and enjoy all the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Azerbaijan. Does it mean that providing very limited assistance through the Red Cross is a privilege and freedom granted by the authorities of Azerbaijan?

The Freedom House recent report describes Azerbaijan as not free country with score 9 out of 100. Azerbaijan cannot guarantee rights and freedoms of own citizens. Does the Azerbaijani leadership really mean that Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh should enjoy these rights and freedoms?!

On the other hand, the head of Azerbaijani state calls for massive deportation of Armenians. That cannot be interpreted anyhow but state policy of ethnic cleansing. The very fact of illegal blockade of Lachin corridor, hostage of Armenian POWs, frequent aggressions by Azerbaijani armed forces proves the urgent need of international presence in Nagorno Karabakh to monitor the situation on the ground and guarantee rights and security of people who have right to have a homeland.

Thank you!