Tweet
PROSECUTOR GENERAL: ARMENIA SHOULD HAVE ITS TERRITORIES BACK
http://asbarez.com/111143/prosecutor-general-armenia-should-have-its-territories-back/
Monday, July 8th, 2013
Participants at a legal conference initiated by the Ministry of the
Diaspora, where the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Aghvan Hovsepyan,
spoke.
YEREVAN-Indeed, the Republic of Armenia should have its lost
territories returned and the victims of the Armenian Genocide should
receive material compensation. But all these claims must have perfect
legal grounds, said Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan at a
conference of lawyers ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, initiated by the Ministry of the Diaspora.
International insurance agencies decided in 2007 to pay the heirs
of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, but payments have recently
stopped. According to the prosecutor general, the reason is pressure
from Turkey. Aghvan Hovsepyan said that if Armenia possessed undeniable
legal arguments, this process would have a logical outcome.
According to him, this issue is up to the Armenian lawyers to solve.
"It has been a century since Armenian-Turkish relations froze, Aghvan
Hovsepyan says. Though many countries recognized and condemned the
Armenian Genocide, we have no significant results. I'm sure we will
be at the same point in another century. Turkey's policy of denial
and geopolitical circumstances are not the only reason. I strongly
believe that our position on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and on Armenian-Turkish relations is also a reason," said Hovsepyan.
He added that the recognition of the genocide is only one element
of the Armenian cause. The settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations
is of a legal character and it should be reached on the grounds of
international rights. This, according to the prosecutor general,
means that all international pacts related to the Armenian people
and their territories should be examined.
"Otherwise we will have what we have now," said Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Hovsepyan thinks it is wrong to not answer the Azeri balderdash that
Syunik, Yerevan and Artsakh are Azeri territories.
"Wouldn't it be more effective if we gave legally grounded answers
to Azeris. For instance, in accordance with the Moscow pact of 1921,
Nakhichevan was separated from Armenia and as an autonomous region
was given to Azerbaijani patronage. Disregarding the legality of
the Moscow pact, I should note that in 1923, Azerbaijan's Central
Committee revised the previous decision and included Nakhichevan
in its composition. This decision was such an evident violation of
international rights that even Turkey issued a protest note against
it. Can we affirm Nakhichevan is an inseparable part of Armenia and
that Azerbaijan occupied it? Of course we can, but somehow we are
silent," said Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Dwelling on international agreements relating to Armenia, the
prosecutor general said that the Armenian-Turkish border is not
regulated. "We have territorial disputes with both Azerbaijan and
Turkey". According to the prosecutor general, in order to solve these
issues, it is necessary to work out a large package of claims with
relevant legal grounds and introduce it before the authorities of
Armenia with the view of submitting it to the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
"I'm sure if Azerbaijan had at least one-one hundredth of our legal
ground, it would have long applied not only to the International Court
of Justice, but to all possible avenues", said the prosecutor general,
asking to not forget that time is working against us.
From: A. Papazian
http://asbarez.com/111143/prosecutor-general-armenia-should-have-its-territories-back/
Monday, July 8th, 2013
Participants at a legal conference initiated by the Ministry of the
Diaspora, where the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Aghvan Hovsepyan,
spoke.
YEREVAN-Indeed, the Republic of Armenia should have its lost
territories returned and the victims of the Armenian Genocide should
receive material compensation. But all these claims must have perfect
legal grounds, said Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan at a
conference of lawyers ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, initiated by the Ministry of the Diaspora.
International insurance agencies decided in 2007 to pay the heirs
of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, but payments have recently
stopped. According to the prosecutor general, the reason is pressure
from Turkey. Aghvan Hovsepyan said that if Armenia possessed undeniable
legal arguments, this process would have a logical outcome.
According to him, this issue is up to the Armenian lawyers to solve.
"It has been a century since Armenian-Turkish relations froze, Aghvan
Hovsepyan says. Though many countries recognized and condemned the
Armenian Genocide, we have no significant results. I'm sure we will
be at the same point in another century. Turkey's policy of denial
and geopolitical circumstances are not the only reason. I strongly
believe that our position on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
and on Armenian-Turkish relations is also a reason," said Hovsepyan.
He added that the recognition of the genocide is only one element
of the Armenian cause. The settlement of Armenian-Turkish relations
is of a legal character and it should be reached on the grounds of
international rights. This, according to the prosecutor general,
means that all international pacts related to the Armenian people
and their territories should be examined.
"Otherwise we will have what we have now," said Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Hovsepyan thinks it is wrong to not answer the Azeri balderdash that
Syunik, Yerevan and Artsakh are Azeri territories.
"Wouldn't it be more effective if we gave legally grounded answers
to Azeris. For instance, in accordance with the Moscow pact of 1921,
Nakhichevan was separated from Armenia and as an autonomous region
was given to Azerbaijani patronage. Disregarding the legality of
the Moscow pact, I should note that in 1923, Azerbaijan's Central
Committee revised the previous decision and included Nakhichevan
in its composition. This decision was such an evident violation of
international rights that even Turkey issued a protest note against
it. Can we affirm Nakhichevan is an inseparable part of Armenia and
that Azerbaijan occupied it? Of course we can, but somehow we are
silent," said Aghvan Hovsepyan.
Dwelling on international agreements relating to Armenia, the
prosecutor general said that the Armenian-Turkish border is not
regulated. "We have territorial disputes with both Azerbaijan and
Turkey". According to the prosecutor general, in order to solve these
issues, it is necessary to work out a large package of claims with
relevant legal grounds and introduce it before the authorities of
Armenia with the view of submitting it to the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
"I'm sure if Azerbaijan had at least one-one hundredth of our legal
ground, it would have long applied not only to the International Court
of Justice, but to all possible avenues", said the prosecutor general,
asking to not forget that time is working against us.
From: A. Papazian