Statement on "The aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters" as delivered by the Delegation of Armenia at the 1316th meeting of the Permanent Council

27 May, 2021

Madam Chairperson,

I should like to begin by informing the Permanent Council that earlier this morning, the Azerbaijani armed forces, illegally present on the sovereign territory of Armenia since 12 May, abducted six Armenian soldiers who had been carrying out engineering work in a border area of Armenia’s Gegharkunik region, within the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. This unacceptable and provocative action, committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the sovereign territory of Armenia, once again indicates that Azerbaijan has chosen the path of escalating the situation further, its ultimate goal being to seize Armenian territory.

The statement issued immediately afterwards by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence claiming that the Armenian armed forces had attempted to infiltrate Azerbaijani territory demonstrates that this act of abduction and hostage‑taking was carefully planned in advance. Moreover, the allegations made by the Azerbaijani side defy all logic, since one cannot infiltrate one’s own territory. The hasty actions of the Azerbaijani delegation here at the OSCE also clearly attest to the pre‑planned nature of this operation, which was duly accompanied by (dis)information back‑up and propaganda – we will hear some of that propaganda soon under the current issue raised by that delegation.

Such provocative actions by the politico‑military leadership of Azerbaijan are aimed at further aggravating the already tense situation, which could seriously undermine the fragile security situation in the region. It would seem that by mounting such incursions into the sovereign territory of Armenia, Azerbaijan is deliberately trying to trigger a new war. The politico‑military leadership of Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for all actions by the Azerbaijani armed forces and their consequences. We strongly condemn the use of force by Azerbaijan to encroach on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.

Madam Chairperson,

At the last special meeting of the Permanent Council on 25 May, my delegation presented preliminary information about the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces, as a result of which an Armenian soldier, Junior Sergeant Gevorg Khurshudyan, was fatally wounded while on duty in the immediate vicinity of the village of Verin Shorzha in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. This unacceptable and deliberate killing of an Armenian soldier was primarily due to the illegal presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the sovereign territory of Armenia, which is a flagrant violation of international law and OSCE principles. The Armenian side has indicated its readiness to conduct an international investigation to clarify all the circumstances of this fatal incident. It is obvious that by refusing to withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia, Azerbaijan is seeking to further escalate the situation, disrupt the implementation of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and instigate a new war against Armenia proper.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to cover up its illegal military incursion into Armenian territory, Azerbaijan tries to portray this as a border delimitation and/or demarcation process. This is a false narrative and a disinformation tactic that we squarely denounce. We wish to emphasize once again that relying on field commanders and military personnel to conduct delimitation and demarcation of borders is arrant nonsense – rather like putting the cart before the horse. Delimitation and demarcation should be carried out by a joint commission made up of members from both sides, who – in a calm and reasonable environment and drawing on relevant knowledge and expertise – should discuss and agree on contentious issues, which will inevitably arise in such a complex and time‑consuming process.

Azerbaijan must stop its aggressive and clearly provocative behaviour and immediately withdraw its troops from the sovereign territory of Armenia.

This blatant violation of Armenia’s territorial integrity is a direct consequence of the war of aggression waged by Azerbaijan and its allies against the people of Artsakh in order to deprive the latter of their right to self‑determination and of the right to live freely in their native land. The lack of a firm response to the use of force by Azerbaijan as a means of “resolving” the conflict, or to the massive and serious human rights violations perpetrated by Azerbaijan, has further emboldened that country’s authoritarian leadership to step up its hostile policy and aggressive posturing towards the Republic of Armenia – now expanded to include attempts to seize Armenian territory, threaten the local Armenian population and deprive them of their livelihood, thereby forcing them to flee their native land.

Azerbaijan’s behaviour comes as no surprise to us. However, we were surprised, to say the least, by the appeasing statements that we heard from some participating States at the last special meeting of the Permanent Council. Attempts to gloss over the problematic and unacceptable behaviour of Azerbaijan before, during and after last year’s war of aggression, including its violations of the norms of international law, and to avoid calling Azerbaijan to task for its grave crimes and transgressions are not helpful: rather, they make the situation even worse. The conflict is far from over – no matter what Azerbaijan or certain other participating States may claim – and only a comprehensive political settlement based on respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the peoples of both Armenia and Artsakh, including the inalienable right of the people of Artsakh to self‑determination, could bring stability, security and peace to the region.

Dear colleagues,

The restraint displayed by the Armenian side should not be misinterpreted as a sign of tolerance towards attempts to seize its sovereign territory. The Azerbaijani troops must unconditionally and without further delay withdraw from the territory of Armenia and return to the initial positions that they occupied on 11 May. The aggressive actions by Azerbaijan inside Armenian sovereign territory give the Republic of Armenia the right to take all necessary and adequate measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and ensure the security of its population.

The Armenian authorities are currently trying to resolve the situation through negotiations and other political and diplomatic means so as to prevent further escalation and potential casualties. In these efforts, Armenia also relies on the support of its international partners and on the regional and international security mechanisms, not least on the OSCE. In this regard, it should be made clear to Azerbaijan that the participating States will not tolerate breaches of international law and disregard for OSCE principles and commitments. As the world’s largest regional security organization, the OSCE should demonstrate consistency on such serious matters. A selective approach, double standards and further appeasement of the aggressor would irreversibly undermine the Organization’s credibility.

Madam Chairperson,

In the seven months since the cessation of hostilities in the war of aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and its people, Armenia has been implementing in good faith its commitments under the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020. In contrast, Azerbaijan continues to violate a number of the statement’s key provisions, which, in particular, envisage implementation on the part of Azerbaijan.

We have already presented in detail the ongoing flagrant violations by Azerbaijan of the provisions of the trilateral statement, in particular of the first, seventh and eighth paragraphs.

We have also constantly raised here at the Permanent Council the fate of the Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives being held in Azerbaijan – an issue that remains unresolved despite the fact that paragraph 8 of the trilateral statement clearly stipulates that the Armenian prisoners of war should have been released immediately after the cessation of hostilities.

Numerous calls by the international community notwithstanding, Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian prisoners of war as a tool against Armenia and Artsakh. Moreover, Azerbaijan has brought fabricated criminal charges against them, thereby blatantly violating both the norms of international humanitarian law and its obligations under the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020. The criminal proceedings against Armenian prisoners of war and civilians based on “confessions” of these Armenians in captivity extracted by torture, coercion and physical, psychological and emotional abuse, and in particular the prosecution of Mr. Lyudvik Mkrtchyan and Mr. Alyosha Khosrovyan, captured during the recent aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh – all these are tantamount to making a mockery of international humanitarian law, notably the Geneva Conventions of 1949, since “information” thus obtained cannot serve as a basis for criminal prosecution, nor can it have any probative value.

Given the ample evidence of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and psychological pressure being applied against Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan, it is even more urgent that they be immediately released, without any preconditions, and repatriated.

Dear colleagues,

The recent address by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to the Permanent Council failed to deliver any convincing message that might corroborate that country’s declared intentions of building trust and bringing about reconciliation. Instead, it was a prime example of the Azerbaijani leadership’s anti‑Armenian rhetoric and propaganda, of its blame‑shifting and continuously belligerent policy.

Openly boastful posturing regarding the use of force and of a war of aggression as a means of conflict settlement, attempts to whitewash the war crimes and violations of international law committed by Azerbaijan during last year’s war of aggression and earlier in the past, new highly questionable and unfounded allegations against Armenia – these are the defining features of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister’s statement.

Moreover, in a country where there is no credible alternative opinion or sources of verification of information; where the Prosecutor General’s Office institutes criminal proceedings on the basis of information obtained under duress; and where the perpetrators of the pogroms in Baku, Kirovabad and Sumgait, and of the massacres in Maragha, Getashen and Shahumyan, which claimed the lives of hundreds of Armenians (including children, women and the elderly) and are conveniently swept under the carpet by the Azerbaijani authorities, have yet to be prosecuted, any allegation against Armenia is nothing but a shoddy propaganda trick.

Madam Chairperson,

On another note and bearing in mind that the issue was raised by some delegations, let me make it clear that the Armenian delegation concurs with the need for the OSCE Unified Budget to be adopted promptly so as to ensure the Organization’s normal functioning and proper implementation of the programmatic activities of its structures. This requires, inter alia, reaching a consensus on the budget proposals, including the unchanged mandate and activities of the Co‑Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson‑in‑Office. In this regard, we reiterate Armenia’s support for the budget proposals relating to the Minsk Process and the Personal Representative of the Chairperson‑in‑Office, as introduced by the Secretariat and the Swedish OSCE Chairmanship.

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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