On March 25-26, in Bratislava the delegation headed by Artak Apitonian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, took part in the OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference organized by the OSCE Slovak Chairmanship. The Deputy Minister Apitonyan delivered remarks at high level segment of the event.

The Deputy Minister started his speech by condemning the terrorist attacks in two mosques of  Christchurch city. Artak Apitunyan mentioned that the specific normative and operational challenges of countering this breed of terrorists whose actions are aimed at undermining the very foundations and fabric of societies and national institutions should be recognised. He added that their aim is not just victimization and frightening of the specific groups of people but the creation of an environment of widespread insecurity within the societies as a whole.

Touching upon the identity-based hate crimes and especially the latter’s glorification by some countries Artak Apitunyan expressed concern that such approach creates conducive ground for radicalization and expansion of terrorism. In this context he mentioned that the OSCE and its institutions should amplify their efforts to address this issue.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that Armenia, among many other states, has condemned within international fora, including in the OSCE, the atrocities committed by terrorist entities against ethnic and religious groups in Syria and Iraq.

The Deputy Foreign Minister also added that last eight years people in Syria and Iraq, particularly religious minorities, lived through a litany of horrors including mass atrocities, abductions and displacement. In this context the Deputy Minister mentioned that despite successful military operations against those organizations, terrorism continues to pose unprecedented threat to international peace and security. He added that relocation of foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin also may negatively affect security and stability of the OSCE region as well as may lead to increase of tensions in other zones of conflicts and crises.

In conclusion the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia highlighted the importance of sustained and comprehensive engagement of all States, international, regional and sub-regional organizations in fight against terrorism.