“We are not ready to compromise our integrity or security”

Picture: Minute of silence for the 200+ civilian victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Press Conference with the UNSC

The tension in the air was palpable as the Press corps entered the United Nations Security Council for a Press Conference. After having passed a resolution on the militarization (or better demilitarization) of the Arctic with no major disputes or disagreement, it was immediately clear that a resolution on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would not be reached as easily. The journalists followed the quarrel between Azerbaijan and Armenia as they went on throwing mutual recriminations into the room about the events of the conflict. This led the journalist of Die Weltwoche to question the possibility of achieving an agreed-upon resolution in the committee. The delegate of Denmark reassured her that they are confident in finding a solution that would not only help the people in the region but also please the international community.

Compromise was the word of the hour as both Azerbaijan and Armenia recognized that certain trade-offs would be necessary to resolve this conflict. The delegate of Azerbaijan reassured the committee that peace is their motivation in this discussion. They however made sure that the limitations of their compromise were clear to everyone: “We are not ready to compromise our integrity or security”. There was hope that the members of the Security Council could help the two conflict parties to find a solution. Morgunblaðið’s journalist, therefore, asked the delegate of Iceland about their involvement. As they had established diplomatic relations with Armenia, they wanted to convince the other conflict parties to help their ally. A different focus was set by the delegate of Denmark. They reiterated the importance of the safety of the people in the conflict region in a rather unusual way. By motioning for a minute of silence for the 200+ civilian victims the conflict has already claimed Denmark wanted the other delegates to recognize the human suffering in this region. Asked by the journalist of People’s Daily about it, they responded that “it feels that some countries are dismissive of the severity of the conflict”. Can Azerbaijan and Armenia reach a consensus with the help of the other nations in the Security Council? Stay tuned for more updates on the UNSC.