News - UN Special Rapporteur: I saw pain in eyes of refugees from Karabakh, and I am leaving Armenia with a broken soul

The international community should consider the possibility of creating mechanisms for the protection of tangible and intangible heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. This was stated by Fabian Salvioli, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, at a press conference following his visit to Armenia․ He noted that the visit coincided with the forced displacement of over 110,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. “I met with refugees and their host communities. I saw pain in the eyes of the refugees and listened to their problems. I saw the colossal work of the authorities,” the special rapporteur noted. According to him, despite the efforts of the authorities, international assistance is needed for medium-term solutions, and it is also necessary to facilitate registration mechanisms, regardless of the civil status of refugees. “The refugees noted that the documents remained in NK and it is necessary to preserve them, emphasizing the need to protect graves and monuments. In this regard, I urge the negotiating parties and the international community to consider the possibility of creating mechanisms for the protection of tangible and intangible heritage. It is necessary to return prisoners and hostages, and compensate the relatives of the victims. This must be done under the auspices of the international community to ensure that violence does not recur. And this should be reflected in the future peace agreement,” said the UN special rapporteur. “I am leaving Armenia with a broken soul,” said Fabian Salvioli, emphasizing the need to strive for a peace treaty.