STEPANAKERT: As part of their official visit to the Republic of Artsakh, representatives of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) have met with the country's Human Rights Ombudsman, Mr Gegham Stepanyan.
Stepanyan was elected to the position by the National Assembly of Artsakh in 2021 following the resignation of the former Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan, who is now an adviser to President Arayik Harutyunyan.
ANC-AU Executive Director Michael Kolokossian and ANC-AU National Board Member Garineh Torossian were accompanied by ANC Artsakh representative Gev Iskajyan during the meeting, which was coordinated by the Republic of Artsakh’s Permanent Representative in Australia, Mr Kaylar Michaelian.
Stepanyan hosted the representatives at his Stepanakert office, where they toured the premises and witnessed the immense body of work conducted by Human Rights Defender's team.
Stepanyan began the meeting by thanking the ANC-AU for visiting the Republic of Artsakh, and for the Armenian-Australian community's peak public affairs body’s ongoing advocacy in support of the people of Artsakh’s rights to self-determination.
Kolokossian similarly thanked Stepanyan for his ongoing support of the ANC-AU’s activities, particularly his participation in the Australian National Commemoration of the 107th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and his commitment to continue working closely and collaborating with the Diaspora in support of the people of Artsakh.
Consistent with a
n earlier meeting held with His Excellency David Babayan, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, Stepanyan stressed the significant challenges faced by the people of Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of a large portion of the Republic and increasing aggression against its peaceful inhabitants.
During the meeting, Stepanyan highlighted a number of gross human rights violations that the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh have examined which violate the people's human rights.
Stepanyan and the ANC-AU representatives also discussed the ongoing acts of vandalism against Armenian religious and cultural heritage sites, including churches, monasteries, archeological sites and cross-stones (Armenian Khachkars), which have been desecrated or eradicated by Azerbaijani authorities since the end of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war.
Stepanyan highlighted that this is a policy of cultural genocide and racial discrimination against the people of Artsakh, consistent with the International Court of Justice ruling in December 2021, which demanded Azerbaijan “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration”.
Kolokossian assured Stepanyan of the Armenian-Australian community’s readiness to stand with the peaceful inhabitants of the Republic of Artsakh and bring to light Azerbaijan’s ongoing acts of humanitarian terror, cultural genocide and military aggression violating the universal and inalienable human rights of every citizen living in the country.
"It is our duty to stand with our brothers and sisters, who have heroically chosen to remain in a free and independent Artsakh. We must do whatever is necessary to ensure they live in a safe, secure environment," Kolokossian said.
"We will continue to work with Mr Gegham Stepanyan to raise the concerns of the people of Artsakh with Australian authorities, verifying that there is only one aggressor in the region. It is not the people of Artsakh, it is the Azerbaijani dictatorship," added Kolokossian.
The meeting concluded with gratitude expressed by both parties and a commitment to further the close relationship established between the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh and the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
