Nazaryan reminds of times when Azerbaijan bombed schools and hospitals

July 14, 2011 - 14:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflicts took place on July 12 in the United Nations Security Council, during which the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as delegates from 50 countries, including Ambassador Karen Nazaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN had a speech.

The Ambassador highly praised the report of the UN Secretary General, who emphasizes inadmissibility of such phenomenon as use of force or threat of force against schools and hospitals during armed conflicts.

Nazaryan stated that the discussed topic is both a humanitarian problem and a security issue for Armenia. He reminded that yet in early 1990th, as a result of war imposed on Armenia the country provided accommodations to thousand Armenian children refugees who were subjected to aggression. Their schools and hospitals were bombed. The Ambassador added that crimes with regard to children must be in the spotlight of the UN Security Council and it should use sanctions against the authors of those crimes, according to Armenian Foreign Ministry press service.

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.