Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Armenia’s UN ambassador, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

Concert Commemorates 25th Anniversary of Armenia Membership in UN

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NEW YORK — On March 16, a concert dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s membership to the United Nations took place at the Lincoln Center of New York. Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, Heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations, high-ranking officials of the UN Secretariat, representatives of the Armenian community attended the concert.

“It is a distinct pleasure to address you on the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the United Nations.”

Nalbandian noted: “It is a distinct pleasure to address you on the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s membership in the United Nations. I highly appreciate the presence of Secretary General here with us today. I also would like to thank all those who have contributed to the organization of this concert and all of you who join us for the celebration of this festive occasion.

“It was the dream of many generations of Armenians scattered around the world that came to reality. I am glad to see here today many of those who stood by the newly emerging state and I would like to take this opportunity to once again acknowledge their indispensable contribution,” he added.

Nalbandian noted, “Armenia acceded to the family of nations during challenging times in its history but that has never diminished our resolve and commitment to the building of a society that fully adheres to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. We remain guided by the UN Charter that calls to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.”

He also alluded to the conflict the country is facing, adding, “Armenia strictly adheres to its obligations in this regard, including in its efforts to ensure an exclusively peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

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“As a nation that passed through the horrors of the genocide we feel a moral obligation but also an authority to speak out against recurrence of crimes against humanity.”

And finally, he spoke about the many refugees that Armenia has embraced. “From Syria alone, about 22,000 refugees sought shelter in Armenia, on per capita basis making our country the third largest recipient of Syrian refugees in Europe. Our country does its best to contribute to promotion of tolerance and intercultural, interfaith dialogue, combating racism, hate speech and xenophobia.”

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