On October 1, Deputy Foreign Minister Ashot Hovakimian participated in the 69th session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees  in Geneva.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi delivered opening remarks at the session.

In his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Hovakimian underlined the readiness of Armenia to continue the effective cooperation with the UNHCR Office in addressing the needs of displaced persons and providing the necessary assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers.

Referring to the Syrian crisis, the Deputy Foreign Minister noted that Armenia has always expressed its concern over the crisis and particularly the security of our compatriots living in that country. Deputy Minister Hovakimian emphasized that Armenia is ready to continue and expand the humanitarian mission, in order to meet the urgent needs of the Armenian community in Syria. The Deputy Foreign Minister added that the international community should take decisive steps towards developing the early warning and rapid response mechanisms.

Turning to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda, Ashot Hovakimian noted that by committing themselves to the implementation of the Agenda, the member states acknowledged that the goals and the targets of the Agenda should be met for all nations and peoples and all segments of society, leaving no one behind. In that context Ashot Hovakimian also touched upon the issue of Syrian refugees, noting that Armenia has granted asylum to more than 22000 refugees and, within its capabilities, continues to meet their educational, employment and health needs. Armenia is confident that the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons should not become subject to political trade-offs and manipulation.

The Deputy Foreign Minister, responding to the allegations made by the Azerbaijani delegation, underscored that this year marked the 30th anniversary of the mass killings and pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait. In this context the problem of the Armenian refugees who emigrated from Azerbaijan as a result of policy of ethnic cleansing was also touched upon.

The Deputy Minister also condemned the large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in April 2016, accompanied by gross violations of the international humanitarian law.

Responding to the speech of the Armenian delegation, the High Commissioner Filippo Grandi first conveyed condolences to the delegation on the occasion of the death of Ambassador Charles Aznavour, then expressed his gratitude for accepting a large number of refugees from Syria. The High Commissioner stressed that the issues of refugees and internally displaced persons in the result of conflicts can be resolved exclusively through the political resolution of those conflicts.

At the margins of the session a traditional Nansen Refugee Award Ceremony took place. This year it was awarded to Dr. Evan Atar Adaha, a surgeon at the hospital in Bunj, South Sudan.