Guterres' formalism or UN's double standards
"Deep concerns" over Lachin road

ANALYTICS  03 August 2023 - 17:27

One can make history or get caught up in it. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres preferred the latter.

According to the secretary general’s deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, he was “deeply concerned about reports of continuing problems with free movement along the Lachin corridor”.

Guterres, as quoted by Haq, deems it necessary to recall his previous statement regarding the binding implementation by the parties of the decisions of the International Court of Justice, including those of February 22, 2023, as well as those concerning measures to ensure the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin road in both directions.

"He is particularly concerned about reports of a deteriorating humanitarian situation on the ground and calls for urgent action to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need," Haq emphasised.

And in conclusion, the secretary general called on both sides to intensify efforts for the long-term normalisation of relations for the benefit of peace and security in the region.

When you read this gibberish, you find yourself even feeling sorry for the UN secretary-general. So many different things are happening in the world, and the poor guy has to react to it all somehow, to express his special concern. He must be tired, because it is a troublesome business to worry about everything, relentlessly reporting on it. Just like Soviet satirist Zhvanetsky once said: "You don't sleep all day, you don't eat all night - of course, you get tired.”

It should be said that Guterres' statement came out strikingly "timely" - just the day before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the "Framework Agreement between Azerbaijan and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation for 2022-2026". It would seem that the secretary general of the organisation should take into account business ties with the country before making rash statements. But, no - the habit of formalism and idle talk took over.

In this sense, he has not gone far from those Сiceros who have already spoken out about "delivering humanitarian aid to those in need". Moreover, the statements sound as if they were written by the same author in the same office. All of them have the same template set of unsubstantiated, baseless claims to Azerbaijan, and even the inaccuracies are the same.

In general, the UN, which seems to be a solid international organisation, seems to have a very amateurish and biased approach. Is it not aware that the Azerbaijani president in his recent interview with Euronews has already responded to all those who have already or are about to voice ridiculous claims against the country?

"Freedom of movement is not blocked. Since we set up a border post on April 23, more than 2,000 Karabakh residents have crossed to and from Armenia without hindrance. On June 15, Armenia committed another military provocation, injuring one of our border guards, and the road was blocked while an investigation was conducted. But then it was reopened," the head of state emphasised.

But the fact that up to 30 thousand citizens of Armenia illegally reside in the Karabakh economic region, an integral part of Azerbaijan, and there are no Azerbaijanis in the places of their settlement, for some reason does not cause concern to Antonio Guterres. Nor is he concerned about the fact that Armenia is not fulfilling its commitment to secure transport communication between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to organise the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.

Besides, let me remind you that no sanctions have been imposed against Armenia, which has kept 20 per cent of Azerbaijan's territories under occupation for more than a quarter of a century, despite the resolutions of the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. None at all.

This is also why the current statements of the UN secretary-general in connection with the situation on the Lachin road are more than ridiculous and inappropriate and only testify to the fact that the UN is a structure that benefits only the officials who receive fabulous salaries there.

By the way, Ukraine has already been convinced of this. This happened after the United Nations, to put it mildly, reacted rather unexpectedly to the drone attack on Moscow on the night of August 1, when a drone again hit one of the towers of the Moscow City business centre, which holds some Russian government structures.

"We don't have any first-hand information about who is responsible for this attack. But certainly, we are opposed to any attacks on civilian targets and we want them to stop," Haq said

In other words, the fact that Russia is shelling Ukrainian towns and villages with heavy guns, destroying the lives of Ukrainian civilians, is not subject to special condemnation by the UN. Guterres did not find it necessary to respond to the fact that by bombing the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube River, where an elevator and grain sheds were destroyed, Russia is practically provoking famine on a global scale. What the world did hear was his statement that the strikes on Moscow were something that deserved condemnation.

The UN preferred not to mention that none of this would have happened if Russia had not launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. This is the double standard. Which the UN uses in its approach to both Azerbaijan and Ukraine.

Caliber.Az