Armenian Foreign Minister Nalbandian Delivered Speech at the UN Human Rights Council Discussions in Geneva

• 03.03.2015, 14:50
•  World,  Armenia

On March 2, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated and delivered speech at the discussions, titled "Supporting the Rights of Christians, particularly in the Middle East" held in the framework of 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the official website of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports.

In his remarks, Edward Nalbandian mentioned, "The Middle East is a cradle of various civilizations and creeds, including the Christianity. Regrettably, today the survival of Christianity in these lands is under a serious threat. The alarming headlines about targeting the Christian minorities are disseminated with terrible frequency. Beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts and brutal attacks against Assyrians in Syria are only the recent episodes of horrors faced by Christians in the Middle East. However, the persecution of Christianity in this region is not just a modern phenomenon. Suffice to say, that the percentage of Christians relative to the region's overall population has gone from more than 20% at the beginning of the 20th century to less than 5 % in the beginning of the 21st century. The Middle East Christians may be regarded as one of the most vulnerable groups close to disappearance, hence requiring immediate actions for their protection and support."

"Armenia has unequivocally condemned the atrocities committed by these terrorist groups, including against Yazidi minorities in Iraq, and on numerous occasions called on international community to take firm actions against this new scourge. We have continuously emphasized that any support to the terrorist groups should be immediately stopped, including using of the territory of neighboring countries in initiating their cross-border attacks. In this regard, Armenia strongly supports full implementation of the UN SC appropriate resolutions”.

Regarding Centennial of Armenian Genocide, Minister Nalbandian mentioned, "In 2015 the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide is commemorated in the whole world. Syrian town Deir el-Zor and its surrounding desert was the final destination of death marches of hundreds of thousands of victims of the Armenian Genocide. Every year Saint Martyrs Armenian Church in Deir el-Zor, a sanctuary for the remains of many victims, used to be one of the main places of commemoration. However in the Centennial year it will not be possible to pay tribute to the victims in Deir el-Zor, since in September 2014 terrorist groups destroyed the church and vandalized the holy site."

"In an era when the protection and promotion of human rights are considered to be the underpinning concept for the civilized world, intolerance towards the values of civilization belonging to others, damaging or destroying cultural or religious heritage intentionally, consistently, repeatedly, must be strongly condemned", - highlighted Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.