Armenia speaks about fake trials against 23 Armenians in Azerbaijan
YEREVAN, February 24. /ARKA/. 'The mock trials against 23 Armenian individuals – who are arbitrarily detained, are taking place in Azerbaijan with disregard of human right standards for due process,' Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a meeting of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
'One year ago, the High Commissioner for Human Rights informed this Council that the OHCHR deployed two teams to Armenia to collect information about the situation of more than 115,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. We believe that the results of the mission will be an important contribution towards advancing the reconciliation efforts.' Said Mirzoyan.
Mirzoyan said the Republic of Armenia, remaining faithful to its agenda on establishment of peace and stability in our region, has made several constructive proposals to the Azerbaijani side, including within the context of the Peace Agreement, opening of transport infrastructure, mutual arms control and verification mechanism etc, having in mind the necessity to establish a strategic deal that will resolve all major issues.
'We remain convinced that constructive response and further engagement and demonstration of political will of both parties will largely contribute to opening a new era of peace in our region. In this very context I would like to once again reconfirm the willingness of the Armenian side to turn the page of enmity and establish institutionalized peace. 'We are not only ready for this, but will not divert from this path.'
The defendants, who face a long list of charges, include three former Karabakh presidents, Araik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, and Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian billionaire who briefly served as Karabakh's prime minister. All were captured by Azerbaijan during or shortly after its military offensive in September 2023, which forced the entire population of Karabakh to flee to Armenia and restored Azerbaijan's control over the region'.-0-
