We chose the difficult path of reconciliation, but we have not forgotten that 19 Armenian captives remain in Baku

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan attended the high-level session of the UN Human Rights Council on February 23 and delivered a speech. In his speech, Mirzoyan gave extensive coverage to international human rights mechanisms, democratic resilience against hybrid threats, and the situation of Armenian captives held in Baku.

The full text of Minister Mirzoyan's speech at the Human Rights Council is as follows:

"Mr. President, Excellencies,

First of all, let me convey my most sincere congratulations to the President of the Human Rights Council and the members of the bureau on their election. On this occasion, I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his Office.

Armenia's vision and goals are based on the belief that the human rights pillar of the United Nations must be further strengthened and appropriately supported with the necessary resources to prevent violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law, ensure accountability, and prevent the recurrence of these violations.

In addition to increasing conflicts and humanitarian crises, systemic inequalities and their irreversible global consequences require a highly determined approach. Armenia is ready to ensure that the current 'UN 80' initiative and the upcoming review process of the Human Rights Council turn into an important opportunity for concrete actions and a sincere assessment that will strengthen the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms as the fundamental building blocks of the UN's human rights architecture.

Distinguished colleagues,

Like many other democracies today, our society faces a powerful wave of hybrid threats, including disinformation, manipulation, and foreign interference. These are deliberate, coordinated, and unfriendly campaigns aimed at achieving specific goals, including undermining our citizens' trust in democratic institutions and the effective implementation of human rights. Facing these challenges has become a part of our daily work by continuously strengthening our democratic resilience.

Significant reforms implemented over the years, the elevation of policies based on the rule of law and human rights to a higher level, as well as transparent and accountable institutions, have provided concrete development results reflected in internationally recognized indices. In Freedom House's 'Freedom in the World 2025' report, Armenia showed high performance in the areas of political rights and civil liberties, receiving a score of 54 out of 100.

It is also a remarkable result that in 2025, Armenia made significant progress in the 'World Press Freedom Index - 2025' report by the Reporters Without Borders organization, rising to 34th place compared to 43rd place the previous year.

According to the World Economic Forum's '2025 Global Gender Gap' report, Armenia is among the leading countries in the indicator of women's education level and is recording a steady increase in the representation of women in all areas of political life.

In line with Armenia's commitment to the coordinated and effective implementation of its international obligations in the field of human rights, the Armenia Monitoring Digital Platform (AI-NEMRA), a digital tool of a national mechanism aimed at strengthening international accountability, was launched last year. This structure is a centralized system that brings together recommendations provided by international and regional mechanisms in the field of human rights.

However, Armenia's engagement in this field is not limited only to internal implementation frameworks. We aspire to make a significant contribution to the strengthening of global protection mechanisms against the gravest violations of international law. In this context, at the current session of the Human Rights Council, Armenia will once again submit the draft resolution titled 'Prevention of Genocide.' The progressive development of this resolution has reflected new challenges arising at the intersection of international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law, and has created an international consensus around tools to address them. The support of all member states for this important resolution will be the most needed indicator of our common obligation to end the scourge of genocide.

Excellencies,

After decades of armed conflict and humanitarian crises, Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken decisive steps toward establishing long-term peace in our region. The Peace Summit held in Washington last year not only established peace between the two countries but also paved the way for trade, mutual connectivity, and people-to-people contacts. To carry this path beyond the agreements reached between governments, we are laying the foundations for genuine dialogue and trust between our societies, including the population affected by the conflicts.

Although the painful humanitarian consequences of the conflict still await resolution and the wounds of the not-so-distant past remain open, we have chosen the difficult path of reconciliation. This is undoubtedly a complex process, considering that 19 Armenian detainees are still in Baku, the need to clarify the fate of missing persons and uncover cases of enforced disappearances continues, and distorted historical narratives are simultaneously being spread. Nevertheless, with the awareness that the further institutionalization of peace will create a more favorable environment for addressing the consequences of the conflict, Armenia remains determined to maintain this path in order to reach a future-oriented harbor.

Mr. President,

In closing, I would like to emphasize that despite the immense pressure on multilateral institutions, we must maintain our principled optimism and express our deep conviction that the human rights system and the United Nations itself will emerge from this process with renewed capacities to fulfill their global mandates.

Thank you."

(Armenpress)