The delegation of Armenia continues to participate in the works of the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which is being held in Kyoto. On March 11, within the margins of the Congress, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Artak Apitonian delivered  remarks in the framework of the agenda dedicated to terrorism.  

In his speech Artak Apitonian highly valued the role of the UN and other international bodies’ toolkit in preventing and eradicating terrorism, meanwhile  stressing that the effective implementation and introduction of these instruments in national legislation is possible in case of political will of states.   

Artak Apitonian noted that multilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism faces serious obstacles in the context of direct and coordinated sponsorship of terrorism and logistic support from some countries.  

The Deputy Minister touched upon the involvement of foreign fighters in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with the direct assistance of Turkey, as well as the reaction of the international community in this regard: “The war unleashed against Artsakh has shown the gaps in international legal instruments in the fight against the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters, particularly when it comes to their implementation.” Artak Apitonian underlined the imperative for more comprehensive international cooperation in identifying and bringing to justice those involved in terrorism, and those recruiting foreign fighters in the armed conflicts.