Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary General,

First, let me join all the other speakers in underlining the importance, the timeliness and relevance of this conference. We understand that this is in preparation of the World Conference to take place next year. This is important and timely, because as we look around us here in Europe and other places in the world, it is very obvious that we have problems with racism and intolerance, and these are issues that cannot be ignored. This conference and the world conference are timely because we are at the threshold of the new millennium; we are entering a new century.

Let's face it. This century was not a good one. Its record of man's inhumanity to man has persisted, challenging our claims to enlightenment, modernity, technological advances, economic development and growing legitimation of democratic institutions and respect for human rights. As we enter the next century, we believe that things have to be changed. Our presidents and heads of state just recently, in New York during the Millennium Summit, committed themselves to creating a better planet on which to live. If we want to make changes, these are the fundamental issues that need to be addressed.

During these past few days a lot has been said, but I believe the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Mary Robinson's statement provided a very clear blueprint for our actions. She clearly outlined the problems, the root causes of those problems. She outlined measures at the international, regional and national levels to address those problems, and she provided her vision of the outcome she would like from the world conference. I would like to pick up on two items or two measures that she made reference to, which I think are the key for effectively addressing these problems: one is education, the other is coming to terms with our current realities, with the legacy of the past, the legacy of history. And these two are intrinsically related: without the one, the other cannot happen.

The record of coming to terms with our realities is mixed, both in Europe and in the world. But, fortunately, there are a great many instances where nations have founded their spiritual and moral resurrection on exorcising their guilt, on a search for validation through truth and on facing their past with courage. Without this, I donղt think we can effectively and honestly address the problems that we are facing today. 

Armenia has great interest in this conference. We are a small country, a homogenous one, and I might say perhaps in some ways unfortunately very homogenous. We have a very small number of minorities living in our country. I wish we were much more diverse ethnically, that would have been healthier for our society, and for the country.  Still, the ethnic groups in our country  live in harmony and their rights are greatly respected.  

We will become a member of the Council of Europe soon. We will take on additional responsibilities and obligations in terms of human rights and we will join other European conventions. But we also do have an interest in this because we are a nation more than half of whose population lives abroad. History has forced upon us this destiny. Our compatriots have emerged as ethnic minorities in a great many other countries. The realities of the transition economy of the past ten years, too, has forced upon us migrant workers, refugees, all over the world. We want, of course, to see their rights protected.

Certainly, our interests are not ethnocentric. We genuinely believe that for us to be able to create a better world, to achieve long lasting peace and prosperity, we must create harmony among all the peoples of the world and respect each other's rights.

Thank you.