“Mr. President, let me thank you for organizing this discussion”. Armenag Aprahamian, President of the National Council of the Republic of Western Armenian, began his speech at the 17th session of the expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples in Geneva.
He noted that after the First World War with the Treaty of Sevres which was signed and implemented by the Allied and Joint Forces in 1920, Turkey, recognizes the Armenian state and its sovereignty as a result of the genocide of the native Armenians in Western Armenia,
This arbitration award was signed by the President of the United States on November 22, 1920.
Continuing his speech, President Armenag Aprahamian emphasized that since 1921, Western Armenia, as a native state, continues to be occupied by Turkey and Baku, like Northern Cyprus since 1974.
Based on this international peace treaty signed by 19 allied and united powers, the US Senate, at the request of the Supreme Council, authorizes Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States to arbitrate the demarcation issue between Western Armenia and Turkey.
To the question whether all indigenous peoples strive to become nations of indigenous states, the President answered that, “Indigenous peoples have become a nation through the recognition of their state, and they defend that status. Indigenous peoples live in states that recognize their rights based on the UN Declaration and other legal acts. And finally indigenous peoples want to become a nation with the recognition of their state”.
According to Armenag Aprahamian, these situations should be taken into account by the United Nations Organization:based on relevant legal documents for review of their rights.
The creation of a commission to complement the expert mechanism on these issues will be a continuation of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the framework of the implimantation of those rights.