On Apr. 2, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan participated in the international conference on “Responsibility to Defend” devoted to genocide prevention in Brussels. The conference was organized by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the Genocide of the Tutsis in Ruanda.

The conference was attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, leaders of several other reputable organizations, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of nearly 30 countries, as well as other high-ranking delegations and renowned scientists.

The high-ranking representatives of nearly 120 countries and international organizations attached importance to the use of combined efforts of all countries for prevention of genocides.

In his speech, Minister Nalbandyan said: “As survivor of the genocide in Ruanda Esther Mujavayo said during the High-level Discussion held by the United Nations Human Rights COncil devoted to genocide prevention in Geneva a month ago, “the fourth generation of Armenians is still waiting”. Yes, it has been almost 100 years since the Armenians and the entire international community has been waiting for Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Next year marks the Centennial of this tragedy. As a nation that has survived the first genocide of the 20^th century, we feel moral responsibility to make our contribution to the international community’s efforts to prevent crimes against humanity.”

Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs underlined the fact that the tragedies of Cambodia, Ruanda, Darfur and other tragedies that have taken place in the past 60 years following the adoption of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocides show that good will is not sufficient to rule out new crimes against humanity.

“It’s clear that one of the main reasons for the repetition of genocides or new attempts for crimes against humanity is the lack of an adequate response from the international community. Prevention of genocide means taking responsibility that needs to be shared by the international community. This requires political commitment from countries to not allow the perpetration of genocides in any part of the world, without subordinating this universal issue in any geopolitical calculations.

The prevention of an atmosphere of genocide that is maturing is an important way of preventing genocide. There is a need to focus on and extirpate genocidal manifestations such as the hatred and enmity that is advocated on national, ethnic, racial and religious grounds. Of course, full prevention seems impossible, but it’s possible to reveal the dangerous situations and zones that can lead to manifestations of genocide. The international community must give evaluations of the roots of and reasons for the environment that leads to the perpetration of this horrible crime and prevent it while it’s not too late. Genocide is an unimaginable crime for a society that is hinged on tolerance and the protection of fundamental human rights and liberties.

“The civilized world is determined to reject the provocation of hatred and racism, the dissemination of intolerance, the denial of genocide and crimes against humanity with the pretext of the right to freedom of expression. Denial is the continuation of genocide,” said Edward Nalbandyan.