Armenia, 1998

May I begin, Sir, by congratulating you on your election as

President of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly.

I am confident that the skills and vast experience you have

acquired throughout your distinguished diplomatic career

will provide the guidance we need to guarantee the

successful outcome of the session. I must also recall the

valuable contribution of your predecessor, Mr. Hennadiy

Udovenko, to the work of the last session of the General

Assembly.

This year, 1998, has been a year of warning signals

and signs of hope. We have witnessed both setbacks and

strides forward in the quest for peace and international

security. In particular, we have witnessed great progress

towards the settlement of one of the longest and most

intractable conflicts — that of Northern Ireland. The Irish

peace agreement has proved to the world that it is never

too late to find answers to seemingly impossible

problems.

Unfortunately, wars, armed conflicts, acts of

terrorism and other forms of violence have shaken the

world during this last year and have had a negative

impact on international stability and security.

A party to all international treaties in the sphere of

the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

Armenia is deeply concerned about the possible

consequences of nuclear tests conducted by India and

Pakistan this year. We believe that as the Comprehensive

Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) comes into force, it will

contribute substantially to the strengthening of

international security. Also, within the framework of the

Conference on Disarmament, Armenia supports drafting

agreements on the prohibition of the production of fissile

materials for nuclear weapons and other explosive

devices.

The United Nations plays a great role in different

aspects of international life, ranging from tackling global

environmental problems to combating organized crime

and illicit drug trafficking. In support of United Nations

activities in these spheres, Armenia actively participated

in the twentieth special session of the General Assembly.

We strongly believe that the illicit traffic in drugs and

psychotropic substances seriously jeopardizes the economic

prosperity and political stability of many countries and

regions of the world.

Armenia also actively participated in activities leading

to the establishment of the International Criminal Court,

since we attach great importance to the battle against

international crime, including the crime of genocide, crimes

against humanity and war crimes. Believing that the United

Nations should play the leading role in the formation of an

international anti-criminal strategy, Armenia supports the

idea of holding, in Vienna, in the year 2000, the tenth

United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and

Treatment of Offenders.

Armenia unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism

as acts that have no justification on political, ideological,

ethnic, religious or any other grounds. The recent terrorist

attacks in Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania once

again show us the necessity for cooperation among all

countries to combat that evil. We call for the accession of

the maximum number of countries to universal conventions

against terrorism, and support the Russian proposal on a

United Nations convention for combating acts of nuclear

terrorism. Armenia likewise supports including on the

agenda of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly

issues dealing with the declaration by the United Nations of

a decade of international law, as well as events to be

organized in 1999 devoted to the hundredth anniversary of

the first International Peace Conference.

For the international community, this year marks the

fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human

Rights. The semi-centennial anniversary of the Declaration

enables the States Members of the United Nations to

conduct a review of human rights conditions in their own

countries and to identify ways further to develop the

foundations of democracy and to promote human and

national rights.

This year also marks the fiftieth anniversary of the

adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and

Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It is well known that

the international community did not, at the time, duly

condemn the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman

Empire in 1915, and that failure encouraged certain regimes

to commit new crimes of genocide. After the Holocaust, the

United Nations addressed the problem of genocide, defining

it as a crime against humanity, and adopted, on 9 December

1948, the aforementioned Convention. Despite that fact,

over the past five decades, crimes of genocide have been

committed in various parts of the world on more than one

occasion. The recent recognition and condemnation by

several parliaments of the genocide of Armenians

committed early in this century is evidence of an

increased understanding of the necessity to combat that

evil.

The General Assembly, upon the submission of

Armenia and five other Member States, included on the

agenda of this session an item on the fiftieth anniversary

of the genocide Convention. We hope that, by combining

its efforts in the struggle against the crime of genocide,

humanity will take a decisive step towards the elimination

of that crime in the next century.

Equality and mutually beneficial cooperation among

countries in the political and commercial-economic

spheres, based on free market principles, should become

an important factor for political stability in the third

millennium. We have no other choice. Armenia adheres

to this policy in all its dealings, from its approach to

cooperation with international organizations to the process

of becoming a member of the World Trade Organization.

We attach special significance to regional

cooperation, be it in the framework of the Commonwealth

of Independent States, the Black Sea Economic

Cooperation organization or the TRASECA project.

Armenia is sincerely open to such cooperation, although

we have to state with regret that the blockade imposed on

Armenia by Turkey and Azerbaijan is a serious obstacle

to such cooperation. It is obvious that the region?s vast

potential cannot be fully exploited if attempts are made to

isolate one of its constituents. Such attempts are doomed

to failure.

Another factor of concern for political-military

stability in the region is the gross violation by Azerbaijan

of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

In three categories of ground equipment identified in the

Treaty, our neighbour significantly surpasses the national

limits set by the Treaty.

Despite the potential threat to our security, since the

earliest days of our independence we have clearly and

unambiguously forsworn the development of weapons of

mass destruction and adhere to the principles of non-

proliferation of such weapons and of control over the

destabilizing accumulation of conventional arms.

The peaceful settlement of regional conflicts is one

of the most important safeguards of stability and peace in

our region, the Transcaucasus. Armenia is committed to

2

the ceasefire established in the Karabakh zone of conflict in

May 1994 and will assist in its rigorous maintenance. We

emphasize the contribution of the Minsk Group and of its

individual member States, both to the maintenance of the

ceasefire and to mediation.

Unfortunately, at present, the negotiation process is at

an impasse. We believe that the main reasons for this

impasse are the unclear definition of Nagorny Karabakh?s

status as a party to the negotiations; Azerbaijan?s refusal to

negotiate directly with the leaders of Nagorny Karabakh;

and its insistence on preconditions regarding the future

status of Nagorny Karabakh, which we believe must be

negotiated. The international community must make every

effort to overcome these obstacles.

In our opinion, given the intensity and specifics of the

Nagorny Karabakh conflict, its resolution demands

unconventional approaches based on the principle of equal

legal rights for the parties to the conflict, an end to the

enclave status of Nagorny Karabakh and the provision of

international security guarantees for its population. Armenia

is ready to move forward and calls on Azerbaijan to resume

negotiations without preconditions in order to reach a

comprehensive settlement for the Nagorny Karabakh

conflict.

The challenges that the international community faces

today are diverse and complicated. We are convinced that

only a reformed United Nations can cope successfully and

effectively with the increasing number of problems. This

holds true especially for the reform of the Security Council,

since the maintenance of peace and security throughout the

world depends on a Security Council that functions

effectively. We also call for deeper institutional reform of

the United Nations, including in the administrative-

budgetary sphere. We believe that the fulfilment by all

Member States of their financial obligations under the

United Nations Charter is indispensable if the

Organization?s acute financial crisis is to be overcome.

Despite serious economic hardships, Armenia will fulfil its

duties in this sphere. We need only recognize that a

stronger and reformed United Nations serves our common

interests.