This week, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) mourned the loss of former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Boutros Boutros-Ghali and recalled his efforts towards a lasting peace in Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenian Assembly of America recalls Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s efforts for Karabakh peace
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 19, ARTSAKHPRESS: Boutros-Ghali passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.“The Assembly was saddened to hear of the passing of former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali,” stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. “Armenians will always be grateful for his work and remember how he took diplomatic measures to counter Azerbaijan’s violence against the freedom-loving people of Nagorno-Karabakh," he said, informs NEWS.am.
In March 1992, Boutros-Ghali sent then-UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Cyrus Vance to Karabakh in order to mediate and moderate the hostilities. This was the first official move by the UN in the Nagorno-Karabakh War, two weeks after Armenia became a member state of the UN.
In a cable to the then-President of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) Jiri Dienstbier (former Czechoslovakia), Boutros-Ghali explained he was sending Vance to gather information about the problems in the region, not trying to overstep CSCE efforts in any way. "Please be assured . . . that my purpose in sending Mr. Vance on this fact-finding mission is to complement regional efforts in search of peace," Boutros-Ghali clarified. "The grave situation in that region calls for a concerted effort to prevent further violence and to create conditions for a peaceful solution," he said.
Reflecting on Boutros-Ghali’s role in Karabakh, the Assembly hopes his dedication will inspire a renewed effort to resolve the stalemate. Increased ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan have led to more Armenian casualties along the Line of Contact in 2014-2015 than in the previous 20 years combined. Azerbaijan’s obsession with reigniting a war with Armenia prompted U.S. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper, Jr. to include Nagorno Karabakh in his 2016 conflict risk assessment which he provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.
Boutros-Ghali was an Egyptian diplomat and the sixth Secretary-General of the UN from 1992 to 1996, and the first from Africa. While he was Secretary-General, he wrote “An Agenda for Peace,” an analysis on ways to strengthen UN capacity for preventive diplomacy, peacemaking, and peacekeeping.
