RA senior officials pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Sumgait pogrom

Today commemorates the anniversary of the Sumgait pogrom. In 1988, in the period between February 27 and 29, in the city of Sumgait of Soviet Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani authorities organized a massacre and mass deportation of the Armenian population of the city at the state level.

President Vahagn Khachaturyan, along with the RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, and the highest state leadership, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the tragic pogrom of Sumgait.

They laid flowers at the khachkar, perpetuating the memory of the victims.

The US Embassy in Armenia also commemorated the Armenians who were killed in the Sumgait pogroms in 1988.
 
 "Today we join the Armenians in mourning and paying tribute to the memory of those who lost their lives in Sumgait in 1988," the message of the embassy said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirozyan's visit to Geneva 

Within the framework of his work visit to Geneva, Switzerland, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

The sides discussed issues on cooperation within the framework of the UN Human Rights Protection System.

The interlocutors touched upon the process of democratic reforms in Armenia, and the steps and achievements of the Government of Armenia toward protecting human rights and strengthening the rule of law. 

Issues on international and regional agendas were discussed.

Mirozyan also had a meeting with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia highly appreciated the years-long activity of the ICRC in Armenia aimed at solving humanitarian issues. In this context, the efforts of the ICRC towards returning Armenian prisoners of war and other civilians held in Azerbaijan, the cases of enforced disappearance, and the clarification of the fate of missing persons were appreciated.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the details of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. Minister Mirzoyan highlighted that Azerbaijan grossly violates its commitments, as well as norms of international humanitarian law and protection of human rights. The importance of implementing the decision made by the International Court of Justice on February 22 regarding the request for provisional measures against Azerbaijan was also underlined.

During his visit, Ararat Mirzoyan also met with the Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Iran discussed issues on cooperation in a bilateral format, as well as on multilateral platforms. Both sides commended the high level of political dialogue between Armenia and Iran.

The importance of putting joint efforts towards further developing cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including energy, transport, and infrastructure was highlighted.

Meeting of Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan with the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries

On February 20-27, the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination, headed by Ravindran Daniel paid a working visit to Armenia.

The aim of the visit of the Working Group was to explore the existing legal framework of Armenia after the ratification of the International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing, and Training of Mercenaries and measures undertaken for the effective implementation of the Convention.

On February  20-22, the Working Group had meetings with different agencies in Armenia. Afterward, the representatives of the group had a working visit to the city of Kapan in the Syunik region, where they had meetings with the Head of the Syunik Regional Administration and representatives of the Office of the Ombudsman in Kapan.

In a meeting with the US ambassador, Ruben Rubinyan spoke about the imperative to restrain Azerbaijan's aggressive and bellicose policy

On February 27, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan received the newly appointed US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Kristina Kvien.

Congratulating on assuming the position, Rubinyan stated he believes Kvien will contribute to the deepening of Armenian-American cooperation with her activities.

Issues related to bilateral partnerships and friendly relations were discussed at the meeting. It was noted that the format of inter-parliamentary cooperation occupies an important place in Armenian-American relations.

Other News

• President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s message on the 35th anniversary of the tragedy in Sumgait.

• Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait.