Statement on "Incursion by Azerbaijan into the sovereign territory of Armenia" as delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1313th meeting of the Permanent Council

13 May, 2021

Madam Chairperson,

I would like to inform the Permanent Council about the provocative and extremely dangerous actions undertaken yesterday by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of the southern Armenian province of Syunik.

Early in the morning of 12 May, the armed forces of Azerbaijan in small groups violated the State border of the Republic of Armenia in the Syunik province, in the areas of Lake Sevlich (Black Lake), which is one of the major water reservoirs of the province, and the Mets Ishkhanasar and Tsghuk mountains. The armed forces advanced 3.5 kilometres into the sovereign territory of Armenia and attempted to besiege the lake and gain a foothold in this area. Later on, more Azerbaijani troops advanced into the territory of Armenia and concentrated at Lake Sevlich and in other neighbouring areas. It is estimated that there were about 150 military personnel in the area of Lake Sevlich and about 250 troops in the area of Mount Ishkhanasar.

The Armenian armed forces are concentrated on the opposite side.

Armenia strongly condemns these actions of Azerbaijan, which constitute an encroachment on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and are intended to advance the goals of creating new hotbeds of tension along the Armenian State border and exerting psychological pressure on the Armenian civilian population living in the border area.

The Armenian Government is trying to resolve this situation through negotiations to avoid further escalation and casualties, and we count on the support of our partners in our efforts to settle the issue through diplomatic means. While saying this, I wish to emphasize that Armenia will not tolerate such provocative actions against its sovereign territory.

Madam Chairperson,

Delegations may recall that following the 44‑day war of aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan with the active support and participation of Turkey and Turkish‑backed foreign terrorist fighters and jihadist groups, the Syunik province of Armenia has become the object of persistent threats and territorial claims by the President of Azerbaijan. He stated that Azerbaijan would use force against the Syunik province of Armenia, which he referred to as “historical lands of Azerbaijan”. Given that when speaking about the history of Azerbaijan President Aliyev refers to the period from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, the credibility of such claims may easily be judged.

It should also be noted that shortly before the incursion, President Aliyev repeated his bellicose and provocative statements in an interview, in which he again called the Syunik province of Armenia a “historical Azerbaijani territory” and referred to an imaginary corridor, deliberately undermining the implementation of the 9 November and 11 January trilateral statements.

To clarify this point to delegations, I would like to stress that neither the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 nor that of 11 January 2021 refers to any corridor. Therefore, we consider this and other similar provocations of Azerbaijan to be well‑prepared and disguised territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia.

In his interview, the President of Azerbaijan also made derogatory references to the statements of several OSCE participating States, which he slammed for the responsible positions they adopted. Such provocative actions and behaviour by a participating State are a clear early warning signal to the OSCE and should be properly assessed and condemned, at least by the OSCE Minsk Group Co‑Chair countries. We particularly deplore the fact that such provocative actions of Azerbaijan have taken place after the recent attempts of our partners to stabilize the situation on the ground.

We call on Azerbaijan to immediately withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia and to stop fuelling tension, which could lead to a further escalation of the situation on the ground.

Distinguished colleagues,

Against the backdrop of this latest provocation and the constant threats voiced by the President of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence, without prior notification and in violation of the provisions of the Vienna Document 2011, has announced another large‑scale military exercise from 16 to 20 May, with focus on command and control of troops, bringing them to a state of combat readiness and regrouping, taking into account the combat experience gained during the Second Karabakh War. This will be the fourth unnotified military exercise in our region since the end of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh. According to a press release of the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan dated 12 May, the exercise will involve up to 15,000 military personnel, up to 300 tanks and other armoured vehicles, up to 400 missile and artillery systems of various calibres, multiple‑launch rocket systems, mortars, anti‑tank weapons, up to 50 units of military aviation, and unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes.

Unnotified military exercises conducted by Azerbaijan in recent years have twice resulted in the use of force against Artsakh, in 2016 and 2020. We view the announcement of such military exercises immediately after the incursion into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia as a real threat to Armenia and Artsakh, with a potential of further escalation threatening the fragile truce in the region.

Madam Chairperson,

Threats against the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and provocative actions by Azerbaijan are a direct consequence of the muted and inadequate response of the international community to the war of aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on 27 September 2020 against Artsakh and its people.

Such grave violations of international law by Azerbaijan constitute a serious threat to regional peace and stability. Moreover, this situation has the potential to spin out of control very quickly and to create new tensions not only in the South Caucasus but also beyond its borders.

Therefore, we call on the OSCE participating States to respond appropriately to such provocative and belligerent actions on the part of Azerbaijan, in order to avoid further escalation and the creation of new points of tension. The speedy withdrawal, within a reasonable time frame, of Azerbaijani troops from the territory of Armenia might de-escalate the tense situation on the ground, but if this does not take place, Azerbaijan will bear full responsibility for the consequences of its incursion.

Madam Chairperson,

I kindly ask you to attach this statement to the journal of today’s meeting.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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