Azerbaijan prepares $50bn worth lawsuit against Armenia in European court, says former justice official

The Azerbaijani authorities are going to file a $50 billion worth lawsuit against Armenia at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the context of the inresolved Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, Gevorg Kostanyan, a former prosecutor general who represented the country at the Strasbourg court and the Committee of Ministers, said in an interview with Tert.am.

Mr Kostanyan, since 2004, you have been in charge for the legal processes dealing with the international recognition of Artsakh. Also, you were the representative of Armenia at the European Court of Human Rights and the Committee of Ministers. As a result of the political developments in Armenia, however, you resigned from office. What outcomes in the interests of Armenia have you observed over the period, and does the new government have enough potential to continue the policies pursued in ECHR?

Since 2004, not only the European court but also the Committee of Ministers have been discussing all the issues stemming from the status of Artsakh or the conflict in general. The Committee of Ministers conducts its meetings in a closed-door format, unfortunately, so I am not authorized to elucidate or disclose, in any other way, the results recorded. But I can highlight for sure three important components which we considered as an undisputable fact to make it the underlying basis of everything.

Any legal outcome - pertaining to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – has to have three components. First, it is necessary to guarantee, in an absolute sense, the security of the people of Artsak. Secondly, the direct participation of Artsakh is necessary in any effort towards seeking ways to reslve that conflict. And we too, have definitely stated that without the direct engagement of the authorities of Atrtsakh, it isn’t practically possible to discuss any issue stemming from, or linked to, the Artsakh conflict. And most importantly, we need the deployment of mechanisms ruling out fire to guarantee a secure atmosphere and situation in Artsakh.

These three [factors] have been stated at least in the frameworks of the Committee of Ministers. As to the current government’s methods, I, as a representative of the government, cannot insist on anything unequivocally, but I certainly welcome the highest-level statements made and the wordings used. They are definately in line with the policies implying the three components, which I really see.