Statement in response to the statements by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, the PRCiO and the Head of the High-Level Planning Group as delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1345th meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

18 November, 2021

Madam Chairperson,

We thank the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for their appearance at the Permanent Council here in Vienna, and for their address, which we listened to carefully.

We also welcome the new Co-Chairs Igor Khovaev of the Russian Federation and Brice Roquefeuil of France and express our hope that their tenures will be successful. This delegation stands ready to provide all necessary support to that end.

For the record, Armenia fully supports the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as the only internationally mandated mechanism dealing with resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It hardly needs repeating that, unlike other conflicts, Nagorno-Karabakh is the only conflict in the OSCE area which the OSCE has a full mandate to deal with. The success of the process also very much depends on the readiness, willingness and determination of the OSCE, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, and the Co-Chair countries to make full use of the toolkits and instruments available to them to promote and contribute to the peaceful and lasting resolution of this conflict.

Regarding the report of the Co-Chairs, it is clear that both the substance and the format of the report presented have clearly been influenced by the absence of the Co‑Chairs from the region.

During the reporting period there was only one limited visit to the region. As the distinguished Co-Chairs will confirm, the last time the Co-Chairs conducted a full-fledged visit to the region, including Stepanakert, was more than two years ago – 25 months, to be exact – and this despite the military flare-up in July 2020, despite the 44 days of war of aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, and despite the attack by Azerbaijan on sovereign territory of Armenia that occurred two days ago on 16 November.

The meetings between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place in New York and Paris under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs allowed for a very small degree of optimism and a certain, if limited, enthusiasm about the revitalization of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs format, first and foremost on account of the agreement in principle on finally conducting the long overdue full-fledged mission to the region.

This agreement was possible thanks to the co-operative attitude once again shown by Armenia in order to ensure the Co-Chairs unhindered access to Artsakh.

Two months later we have yet to hear any plausible argument and justification for the constant delay of this much-awaited visit to the region.

Now let me say a few words about the report of the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk. We have taken note of the report and the statement. Likewise taking into account the recent attack and incursion, it was expected that Ambassador Kasprzyk, who is a well-known personality in the region and apparently has useful contacts and connections, would have travelled to the mission area, not least in order to be able to provide first the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and then the OSCE Minsk Group Co‑Chairs and the participating States with updated information. We consider his absence from the region as a missed opportunity, which in fact limits the ability of the Organization, the Chairperson-in-Office and the participating States to take advantage of updated and verifiable information from the ground.

In relation to the High-Level Planning Group, the position of Armenia remains the same. Let me say that the main handicap of the High-Level Planning Group was and remains its current staff composition and we call on the incoming OSCE Chairmanship to be cognizant of and rectify this unacceptable situation.

Distinguished Co-Chairs,

In the absence of proper international reaction, the continuous ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan are becoming more and more brazen.

On 9 October, in the neighbourhood of the city of Martakert, the civilian Aram Tepnants was fatally wounded by an Azerbaijani sniper while carrying out agricultural works under the supervision of peacekeepers.

On 14 October, in another gross violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani armed forces, six soldiers from the Artsakh defence army were wounded near the village of Norshen in Artsakh. The Azerbaijani military continued its ceasefire violations on the next day, 15 October, by opening fire at a medical vehicle of the defence army in the north-east of Artsakh.

On 8 November, Azerbaijani authorities initiated another attack on civilians carrying out construction works near the Stepanakert-Shushi road. It should be noted that the Azerbaijani military authorities were properly notified about the construction work. But this did not prevent peaceful workers from being shot at by an Azerbaijani officer in cold blood and at point-blank range. As a result of this crime, one civilian was killed, Martik Yeremyan, aged 22, and three others were seriously wounded.

These deliberate and cynical acts by the armed forces of Azerbaijan constitute a gross violation of its commitments, notably under the ceasefire statement of 9 November signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, and indicate the real intention of Azerbaijan, namely, to undermine the realization of the trilateral statement.

Madam Chairperson,

Colleagues,

Unfortunately, the present report of the Co-Chairs to the Permanent Council comes at a time when the already extremely fragile situation in the region has yet again been disrupted: on 16 November, Azerbaijani armed forces made a further attack on and incursion into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

On 16 November, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, using artillery, armoured combat vehicles and special forces units, launched an attack on the eastern border of the Republic of Armenia and penetrated into Armenian sovereign territory. It is already known that this large-scale armed attack by Azerbaijan has led to numerous casualties on both sides.

The Armenian Ministry of Defence has confirmed the death of one serviceman, the fate of 24 missing Armenian servicemen still remains unknown, and 13 servicemen were taken prisoner of war. And I would like to thank all those colleagues who have extended their condolences on the loss of life.

Even though the ceasefire established with the mediation of the Russian Federation still holds, the situation nevertheless continues to remain volatile.

The 16 November military attack and incursion were accompanied by Azerbaijan’s massive disinformation campaign, which is aimed at turning everything upside down in a clumsy attempt to justify its aggressive actions and portray Azerbaijan as the champion of peace while both the words and the deeds of Azerbaijani authorities for the last decade or so have spoken loudly, clearly and unequivocally about their true intentions.

It is also indicative that on 16 November, the very day of the attack and incursion, Azerbaijan’s national air carrier AZAL carried out flights from Baku to Nakihijevan and then to Syria and back. This information should be of particular interest to the relevant OSCE structures dealing with advanced passenger data exchange issues or with terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters.

Madam Chairperson,

This latest attack on Armenia is a continuation of Azerbaijan’s policy of creeping occupation of Armenian territories, which began on 12 May 2021 with the incursion of Azerbaijani troops in the direction of the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces of Armenia.

For more than six months now, Armenia has been striving to use peaceful, diplomatic means to resolve the issue of the incursion by Azerbaijani armed forces and their continued illegal presence in its territory. Azerbaijan, by contrast, has deliberately aggravated the situation, moving further into the territory of Armenia, demonstrating that its only goal is to seize more territories and that it is not interested in a peaceful process.

As a result of these incursions, 41 square kilometres of sovereign Armenian territory are currently under Azerbaijani occupation.

By its aggressive actions and attempts to encroach on the sovereign territory of Armenia, Azerbaijan is flagrantly violating the Charter of the United Nations, its own obligations under international law, and the principles of the Helsinki Final Act. Needless to say, Azerbaijan’s actions also violate its obligations under the trilateral statement of 9 November, the first provision of which provides for a complete ceasefire and termination of all hostilities, and stipulates that the sides shall stop in the positions held at the time of signing of the statement.

Moreover, Azerbaijan is attacking the Armenian borderline territories from adjacent regions of Nagorno-Karabakh which fell under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of implementation of the trilateral statement of 9 November by the Armenian side. As we see, Armenia’s commitment to peace and to implementation in good faith of provisions of the statement is being strongly abused by Azerbaijan.

Dear colleagues,

By distorting and putting an arbitrary interpretation on the provisions of the trilateral statements on unblocking regional transport infrastructure, Azerbaijan continues to entertain the idea of the so-called “corridor” and threatens to use force. Not only does its far-fetched interpretation contradict the letter and spirit of the trilateral statements, but it is also indicative of an intention to undermine efforts towards de-escalation in the region.

In this context let me recall, as an example, the outrageous statement made by the President of Azerbaijan in April this year in which he said, among other things: “The creation of the Zangazur corridor fully corresponds to our national, historical and future interests. We are implementing the Zangazur corridor, whether Armenia wants it or not. If they do, it will be easier for us to implement, if not, we will implement it by force. Just as before and during the war, I said that they must get out of our lands or we will expel them by force. And so it happened. The same will apply to the Zangazur corridor.”

It is obvious that following the 44-day war of aggression, Azerbaijan shed its last, already thin layer of civilized behaviour, thus revealing its true intentions.

Moreover, Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions contradict the spirit of the 9 November statement, as does its closure of roads connecting Armenian towns and villages, which has likewise further disrupted transport communications and severely affected the everyday life of people in the region.

The very fact that such blatant recourse to the use or threat of force has become a common feature of the policy pursued by Azerbaijan should leave the OSCE and its participating States in no doubt as to who is the aggressor and the main hindrance to the establishment of peace in the region.

Madam Chairperson,

The Armenian government has repeatedly stated its readiness to engage in good faith in the discussions with a view to addressing the issue of demarcation and delimitation, stressing at the same time that any such process should be conducted by diplomatic means and never through the use or threat of force or through unilateral actions. It was with this in mind that the Government of Armenia gave its consideration to the proposals of the Russian Federation. But these proposals were apparently not acceptable to Azerbaijan, which has opted for further military escalation instead.

It is also indicative that Azerbaijan is still continuing its blockade of Nagorno‑Karabakh, preventing the access of international humanitarian organizations, including those who have requested a fact-finding mission to determine the state of the cultural heritage of the region.

Madam Chairperson,

For almost a year, our delegation has been persistently raising the issue of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages held by Azerbaijan. However, not only does Azerbaijan continue to ignore the calls of the international community for the immediate and unconditional release of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, but on 16 November its armed forces also captured 13 more military personnel in the course of the attack on the eastern border of Armenia and infiltration into Armenian territory.

At the beginning, Azerbaijan made the release of Armenian prisoners of war conditional on obtaining maps of minefields from the Armenian side. But when Armenia offered to provide all maps of minefields in exchange for the release of all captured Armenians, Azerbaijan took a step back, questioning the reliability of the maps.

We have on numerous occasions underlined the unacceptability of using the Armenian prisoners of war as a bargaining tool. We once again wish to stress that the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of war and other captives is a commitment clearly stipulated in the trilateral statement, whereas Armenia has no obligations under the statement or otherwise in relation to landmines.

Dear colleagues,

The willingness of Armenia to go beyond the commitments it undertook under the trilateral statement clearly attests to Armenia’s genuine efforts in the cause of peace, as do all the above-mentioned actions on our part. On the other hand, it is equally obvious that Azerbaijan is continuing to escalate the situation. In these circumstances, general calls to both sides may indicate a certain indifference and lack of commitment on the part of our international partners.

Therefore, urgent and effective steps are needed to prevent further escalation and ensure the unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the territory of Armenia.

We reiterate that Armenia is ready for negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus. However, peace cannot be achieved on the basis of the good will of two parties to the conflict while the third party is hell-bent on continuing its anti-Armenian policy. It is hardly possible to imagine lasting peace in the region with a so-called “trophy park” in Baku, continued hate speech and xenophobia by top officials of Azerbaijan, the continued imprisonment of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages, numerous cases of enforced disappearance, and continued attacks, encroachments and the presence of Azerbaijani troops on and in the sovereign territory of Armenia. While Armenia expresses its readiness for de-escalation, Azerbaijan continues to make provocations in Nagorno-Karabakh and on the Armenian borders, causing unnecessary human losses, including civilian losses. While Armenia is calling for the re-opening of regional communications, Azerbaijan uses the pretext of the so-called “corridor” issue to continue its aggression.

The pronouncements of the Azerbaijani delegation here and in other fora about their continuous and relentless striving for peace in the South Caucasus are empty claims that ring particularly hollow against the backdrop of Azerbaijan’s actions on the ground, which cannot by any stretch of the imagination be construed as being aimed at bringing peace.

Madam Chairperson,

In conclusion, I would like to state that lasting peace and stability in the region can only be achieved through the full implementation of the trilateral statements of 9 November 2020 and 11 January 2021 – including the solution of urgent humanitarian issues, first of all the immediate release and repatriation of all prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons, the clarification of the fate of the missing persons, and investigation of the cases of enforced disappearance – the protection of Armenian historical and religious heritage and the full resumption of the peace process for a final and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of the flagrant violation by Azerbaijan of several core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely, refraining from the threat or use of force; the peaceful settlement of disputes; equal rights and self‑determination of peoples; and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. No one should be under any 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 lasting and sustainable peace. Such peace can be achieved in the region only through a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict, which must include the determination of the status of Artsakh on the basis of the realization by the people of Artsakh of their inalienable right to self‑determination; the ensuring of the safe and dignified return of displaced population to their homes; and the preservation of the region’s historical and religious heritage.

Madam Chairperson,

I would like to conclude my statement with a question to the distinguished Co-Chairs. Why, after the meetings in New York and Paris, are the distinguished Co-Chairs still discussing the possibility of the visit to the region? What – or, perhaps, which side – is delaying and creating impediments to the Co-Chairs’ visit, thus hindering their mandated activities?

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

I thank you.

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