Statement On "The aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters" as delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyana at the 1305th meeting of the Permanent Council

11 March, 2021

Madame Chairperson,

Four months ago, on 9 November, a trilateral statement on ceasefire brought an end to the aggression of Azerbaijan with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters against Artsakh and its people.

The trilateral statement was seen by many as a window of opportunity for embarking on a difficult and herculean task of building peace and security in the region. Unfortunately, four months after, the still unresolved issue of Armenian prisoners of war and other captives, including civilians, held by Azerbaijan, which is a clear violation of paragraph 8 of the statement stipulating that immediately after the cessation of hostilities, all prisoners of war and other captives should be released, attest to the failure and lack of will of Azerbaijani authority to engage in good faith in peace process.

In defiance of its own signature and international humanitarian law, Azerbaijan not only refuses to release the Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, including women, but also refuses to provide through the International Committee of the Red Cross a complete list of persons of Armenian origin under its custody. According to the estimates of Armenian human rights activists, their number is likely to reach hundreds.

In the situation when anti-Armenian hatred is promoted and supported at the state level, the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians face an imminent and serious threat to their lives and health in Azerbaijani captivity.

I would like to recall that Armenia in line with its commitments under the 9 November statement released all Azerbaijani prisoners of war held by Armenian side with the understanding that Azerbaijan will reciprocate and will release all Armenian prisoners of war and other captives based on the principle “all for all” which was not the case and we do hope that our international partners while addressing or speaking about the issue of prisoners or war will refrain from generalised statements and calls addressed to both sides.

Madame Chairperson,

We have previously stated that in order to embark on changing the paradigm of relations in the South Caucasus from confrontation towards peace we need to see substantial and tangible evidence of changes in the foreign and military policy agendas and trajectories of Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The attempts of Azerbaijani authorities to project an image of peace-loving nation for the international community’s consumption, when viewed in light of belligerent and aggressive anti-Armenian rhetoric used by Azerbaijani President in his public statements, are nothing more than empty sounds aimed to mislead and lull the international community into believing the stories about long-awaited peace and stability in the region. We do understand that this might sound as music to the ears of some eager listeners. But this is nothing more than a comfortable illusion for some, since in reality nothing is farther removed from truth than this fictitious narrative promoted by Azerbaijani propaganda, and Armenia and the Armenian people are continuously portrayed as a collective enemy and anti-Armenian hatred is used as a useful tool by Azerbaijani authorities. To substantiate this assessment, I would cite some quotes from the statements by the President of Azerbaijan on 5 March during the Congress of the ruling "New Azerbaijan" party. He said, in particular, that quote, “the younger generation has grown up with (...) hatred for the enemy, and this young generation has liberated our lands from the invaders”, end of quote. And then he continued, quote “we isolated them from regional projects, from oil and gas projects, ruined their economy... We exposed Armenia as an ambivalent and unstable country with no future”, end of quote.

Furthermore, President Aliyev repeatedly made territorial claims against Armenia, in particular, Armenia’s Syunik province, calling it “Azerbaijani historical lands” and promising to force Armenia to open a so-called “corridor” towards Nakhijevan.

Our reading of the situation is further reinforced by the consecutive joint Azerbaijani-Turkish military drills. Yet another unnotified exercise, the 3rd since the cessation of hostilities, has been announced to take place on 15-18 March 2021.

The statements and, what is more important, the actions of Azerbaijani and Turkish authorities today mirror the statements and actions right before the September war of aggression against Artsakh and its people. We view this as a direct threat directed against Armenia, and we would like to draw the attention of the Permanent council to these early warning signals of possible intentions of Azerbaijan and Turkey to resume the military aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. In this context I must highlight that in order to maintain the credibility of the OSCE and its standing as an UN Charter Article 52 organization mandated to promote security and peace this Organization must react. The OSCE and its institutions, structures and mechanisms which have conflict related mandates should stop acting as a bystander and start fulfilling their mandated work.

Madame Chairperson,

The September aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh and its people resulted in relocation of foreign terrorist fighters to the OSCE area of responsibility. The recruitment and transfer of foreign terrorist fighters by Turkey has been acknowledged by governments of several countries, law enforcement agencies and continues to be widely reported and documented by independent observers on the ground and international media, as well as in the testimonies of terrorists captured by the Artsakh Defense army and currently in custody in Armenia. The UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries has referred to “widespread reports that the Government of Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s assistance, relied on Syrian fighters to shore-up and sustain its military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, including on the frontline”.

We have repeatedly raised this issue during the war and afterwards, informing the Permanent Council of details of this large-scale recruitment scheme which brought up to 4000 FTFs and jihadists to the conflict area. We also drew the attention of participating States to reports of Azerbaijani -Turkish attempts to resettle the families of FTFs to the territories of Artsakh that are currently under the occupation of Azerbaijan.

This real and imminent threat of spread of terrorism to the OSCE area should have triggered an action from relevant OSCE mechanisms, at least a report and assessment of the situation. Which, unfortunately, was not the case. Let me be clear, the relevance of this organisation and its structures very much depends on their ability, preparedness and willingness to deliver on their mandate.

We believe that the threat emanating from these unaccounted for FTFs still exists and we call on participating States to take all necessary actions at the bilateral and multilateral level to counter the spread of terrorism and hold those masterminds and perpetrators accountable.

Madame Chairperson,

I would also like to once again raise the issue of the destruction of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories that came under the control of Azerbaijan by the Azerbaijani occupation troops, which continues unabated. In addition to the Armenian churches, places of worship and cemeteries, now even the monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War are being destroyed. And these are not isolated cases; they are repeated with a regularity that excludes any incident.

Thus, a monument to two-times Hero of the Soviet Union, jet pilot Nelson Stepanyan, one of the defenders of Leningrad, recently was blown up in Shushi, which is currently under Azerbaijan’s occupation. A few days ago, a monument to Ivan Tevosyan, a Soviet Minister, again was destroyed in Shushi. It should be mentioned that Ivan Tevosyan was one of those who organised the evacuation of military factories beyond the Urals and was responsible for the supply of steel for the entire defense industry of the Soviet Union during the war. The monuments to Marshalls Baghramyan and Babadjanyan, General Sardarov, Admiral Isakov, Air Marshal Khanferyants (Khudyakov) - all those who forged the victory over Nazism - have been destroyed.

In this context, we welcome that in response to a written inquiry, EU High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on behalf of the European Commission deplored the destruction of religious and historic monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh, in particular, the damages caused to Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral by the Azerbaijani armed forces and underlined the importance of preserving and restoring the cultural and religious heritage. The European Commission also welcomed the mission initiated by UNESCO to the regions of Artsakh, whose access to the region continues to be blocked by Azerbaijan.

Madame Chairperson,

The humanitarian situation in which the people of Artsakh found themselves as a result of the Azerbaijani aggression is dire and needs to be urgently addressed. However, the most pressing humanitarian issue today that should be resolved immediately and unconditionally, is the issue of the release and return of all prisoners of war and civilian captives held by Azerbaijan. Only after that speaking of implementation of the humanitarian aspects of the 9 November statement is feasible.

Madame Chairperson,

The current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of a flagrant violation by Azerbaijan of several core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely refraining from the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, equal rights and self‑determination of peoples and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. There should be no illusion that the results of the use of force, accompanied by war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, can ever become the basis for a negotiation process aimed at reaching a lasting and sustainable peace. Durable and lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict, which must include the determination of the status of Artsakh based on the realization by the people of Artsakh of their inalienable right to self‑determination, ensuring the safe and dignified return of the recently displaced population to their homes, and preserving the cultural and religious heritage of the region.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications