Statement On the Recent Escalation of Situation along the Line of Contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border delivered by Amb. A.Kirakossian

14 August, 2014

Statement On the Recent Escalation of Situation along the Line of Contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border delivered by Ambassador Arman Kirakossian at the 1013rd Special Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

14 August, 2014

Mr. Chairman,

We would like to draw the attention of the Permanent Council to the recent escalation of the situation on the Line of Contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan and the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border.

In this regard the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has stated the following:

˝We strongly condemn the provocative actions of recent days on the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which resulted in the loss of many lives and sharply raised the tension. We express our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of the Azerbaijani attacks.

Baku continues to grossly violate the ceasefire agreements from May, 1994 and February, 1995, ignore the calls of the Heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to refrain from provocative actions and from the escalation of the situation, and the appeals of the international community that through the use of force the conflict can not be resolved, and that only through negotiations stability and peace can be achieved. The recurrent adventurism of Baku pursues an aim to undermine the negotiation process.

Being the initiator and instigator of the provocations, Azerbaijan is trying to put its responsibility on the other sides. However, it is obvious that by rejecting the proposals of the international community on the establishment of a mechanism of investigation of incidents, Azerbaijan is assuming the whole responsibility for the ceasefire violations.

It is high time for the international community to sober the Azerbaijani leadership which has lost the sense of reality and is going against the value-system of the international community.

Together with the Co-Chair countries Armenia will take the necessary steps for halting the provocative acts, for the stabilization of the situation, for continuation of the negotiation process aimed at the settlement of the conflict exclusively through peaceful means.˝

Mr. Chairman,

We are deeply concerned on these incidents, and sorrow the lives of the killed young soldiers. An alarming development is that the Azerbaijani military has started to use heavy weapons, in particular artillery and continues to target border villages and civilians. One of the such deplorable incidents was opening fire on the vehicle of the International Committee of Red Cross, while the ICRC representatives were on visit to the Armenian border village of Chinari to assist in safe harvesting.

Along with continuous provocations and subversive actions, Azerbaijani authorities on August 8 publicly humiliated, tortured and killed Karen Petrosyan, a civilian from the Armenian Chinari village, who got lost in the forest and found himself on the Azerbaijani territory.

Mr. Chairman,

We would like to reiterate that Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have constantly underlined the importance of implementation of the Sochi Agreement of 2012 between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on creation of the investigative mechanism into ceasefire violations on the Line of Contact. We deem highly relevant also the proposal of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs on withdrawal of snipers.

The clear and unequivocal commitment to the ceasefire and confidence building by the parties concerned will definitely serve as a crucial factor for creating conducive environment for the peace process as much as every new death of a soldier or a civilian on the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and on the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan will create new difficulties towards that end.

We do hope that after meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, initiated by the President of Russia in Sochi on 10th of August, Azerbaijan will give up its belligerent and nationalistic rhetoric, stop provocations and subversive actions and will put its efforts to work towards peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Thank You.

MFA RA
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