CSI: Armenians’ right of return to Nagorno-Karabakh must be secured

In an oral statement delivered at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, CSI called for Armenians to be able to return to Nagorno Karabakh.

MEDIA RELEASE

Christian Solidarity International (CSI), a Christian human rights organization, has underscored the “absolute right” of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to return to their homeland, six months after they were driven out by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. 

CSI supports a joint declaration by a group of political parties from Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia that urges Armenia to advocate for the Artsakh people’s right to return to their homeland under international protection and guarantees. 

The declaration, issued on March 14, references the Artsakh people’s inviolable right to live freely in their ancestral lands. It warns that there can be no peace in the region when a segment of the Armenian people is forcefully uprooted from its homeland. 

Right to a safe return

In an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council 55th Session in Geneva on March 21, CSI’s Joel Veldkamp recalled that the International Court of Justice had ruled on November 17 last year that Azerbaijan must “ensure” that the Armenians are able to return to Nagorno Karabakh in a “safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner.” 

Veldkamp noted that the exiled National Assembly of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh has appointed a Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the Artsakh People, led by former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian, to secure the right of return for Karabakh Armenians. 

“We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to work with this Committee to negotiate a framework that will allow the residents of Nagorno Karabakh to return to their homes peacefully and safely, with international guarantees,” he said. 

Call to action

Veldkamp concluded, “We urge the Human Rights Council and all UN member states to support this effort. There is still time to undo the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh.” 

CSI International President John Eibner pointed out that neither the United States, Russia, China, France nor the United Kingdom had actively opposed Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Armenian Christians from their historic homeland.  

“CSI therefore endorses the statement of the political parties from Armenia and Artsakh, and calls on these Great Powers to act on its recommendations in the UN Security Council,” Eibner said. “A sustainable peace in the region depends on it.” 

Oral Statement
Human Rights Council 55th Session
Agenda Item 4
General Debate
Delivered by Mr. Joel Veldkamp (Christian Solidarity International)

21 March 2024

Tuesday marked six months since the armed forces of Azerbaijan attacked and conquered the territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Over 100,000 Armenian Christians, virtually the entire population, were forced to leave their homeland in just a few days.

Under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh have the absolute right to return to their homeland. The International Court of Justice ruled on November 17 last year that Azerbaijan must “ensure” that the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh are able to return in a “safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner.”

The National Assembly of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh continues to meet in exile in Armenia, and has appointed a Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the Artsakh People, led by former Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian, to secure the right of return for Karabakh Armenians.

We urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to work with this Committee to negotiate a framework that will allow the residents of Nagorno Karabakh to return to their homes peacefully and safely, with international guarantees. We urge the Human Rights Council and all UN member states to support this effort. There is still time to undo the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh.

www.csi-int.org │ info@csi-int.org

Text of Joint Declaration of Political Parties from Artsakh and Armenia

14 March 2024

The authorities of Armenia bear a profound historical responsibility and are obligated to engage in diplomatic endeavors to avert the looming peril of complete isolation of our state in the region and the erosion of its sovereignty. To achieve this imperative goal, it is paramount to adopt a clear stance in the negotiation process and consistently exhibit principled conduct.

We, the undersigned, urge the authorities of Armenia to prioritize and incorporate into the foreign policy agenda, and introduce as an indispensable subject of discussion within the framework of the negotiation process, the imperative of advocating for the Artsakh people’s right to return to their homeland under international protection and guarantees.

The forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the people of Artsakh represent egregious violations of international law and political agreements by Azerbaijan. There exists no credible international actor who can refute the Armenian side’s entitlement to bring this critical issue to the forefront of the negotiating agenda.

The Artsakh people’s inherent right to live freely in their ancestral lands, unimpeded and under international protection, is inviolable. This right is contingent upon their collective return, as enshrined in various international treaties and instruments, including pertinent rulings of the International Court of Justice on Artsakh.

Achieving enduring peace in the region remains unattainable when a segment of the Armenian people is forcefully uprooted from its homeland, and a coerced notion of “peace” is imposed upon Armenia, with the looming threat of further losses.

We believe that the establishment of enduring peace in the region will be possible only through the collective repatriation of the Artsakh people under international protection and guarantees.

It is imperative for the Armenian government to exhibit, at the very least, the requisite diplomatic acumen and political resolve to mitigate existential threats to Armenia and its people.

Signatories:

Artsakh –

The Free Motherland-United Civic Alliance faction
Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Artsakh Branch
The Justice Party
The Democratic Party of Artsakh

Armenia –

The Armenia Alliance
The “I Have Honor” Alliance
The National Security Party
The Democratic Party of Armenia
The Republican Party of Armenia
The “Hayakve” initiative
The Miasin (Together) Movement

CSI at the UN: “There is still time to undo the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh”