Statement by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1282th Special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council to discuss the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone

29 September, 2020

I would like to thank the Albanian OSCE Chairmanship for convening this special meeting of the Permanent Council and also the Chairperson-in-Office for his statement on the aggression launched by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh. I would further like to thank the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office on the Conflict Dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference for the information he provided to the Council, although I believe that this information was not complete because of certain constraints faced by the Personal Representative and his team.

I also thank all those delegations that took the floor calling for an immediate stop to the violence and for restoration of the ceasefire regime.

Before addressing the current situation along the Line of Contact between the Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, I would like to inform the participating States that this morning the Azerbaijani armed forces attacked the positions of Armenia’s armed forces near the town of Vardenis in eastern Armenia, shelling the adjacent villages and settlements and also deploying their air force. A passenger bus was hit by an Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); civilian infrastructure was shelled. With the active encouragement and also the political and military support of Turkey, Azerbaijan has thus extended the geographical scope of the hostilities to the territory of the Republic of Armenia proper.

The situation we are facing today is one of a large-scale war. Civilian settlements civilian infrastructure are being shelled and bombarded in blatant violation of all norms and principles of humanitarian law. People are being killed and wounded.

Mr. Chairperson,

The large-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh began early in the morning of 27 September. The Azerbaijani armed forces unleashed a massive offensive along the entire Line of Contact. The defensive facilities of the Artsakh Defence Army, civilian infrastructure and settlements, including the capital city of Stepanakert, came under heavy bombardment by tanks, helicopters, heavy artillery, UAVs and multiple rocket launchers, including launchers with a calibre of 300 mm and greater. Moreover, Turkish F-16 fighter jets – which were deployed in Azerbaijan under the pretext of joint large-scale military exercises following the Azerbaijani offensive of 12–16 July and remained there after the exercises ended – were spotted near the Line of Contact.

Mr. Chairperson,

Azerbaijan has never made any secret of its strategic goal to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force, keeping the tension high along the Line of Contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani State border. During and after the July offensive, the Turkish military presence in Azerbaijan began to grow, further stoking Azerbaijan’s belligerent aspirations.

Even though Azerbaijan tries to portray its aggression as being “in response to Armenia’s actions”, there is ample evidence to the contrary. I would cite in this respect the decision by the Azerbaijani authorities to recall for “military training” reservists long discharged from active service, or to the fact that on 21 September, the Azerbaijani authorities started confiscating pickup vehicles from their owners for the needs of the army. Moreover, on 25 September, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan rejected the request by the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office to organize ceasefire monitoring along the Line of Contact.

All these facts prove beyond any doubt that Azerbaijan was getting ready for a military offensive, which it finally launched on 27 September. Moreover, no one at this meeting has so far been able to provide me with any logical explanation as to why Armenia or the Republic of Artsakh should have started the aggression. This is an existential struggle for the Armenian people both in Artsakh and in the Republic of Armenia and we are destined to prevail over the aggressors.

Mr. Chairperson,

The delegation of Armenia has on numerous occasions voiced its concerns about the destabilizing policy and actions of Turkey in the wider Middle East region in general and in the South Caucasus in particular. On 30 July, we raised the subject of Turkey’s aggressive policy and military posturing as a destabilizing factor in the South Caucasus as a current issue at the 1277th plenary meeting of the Permanent Council.

At the meeting of 30 July, we also informed the participating States of, and expressed our deep concerns about, the joint military exercises conducted by Azerbaijan together with Turkey immediately after its military offensive against the north-eastern sector of Armenia’s State border earlier that month. The exercises involved thousands of military personnel, hundreds of armoured combat vehicles, artillery and military aviation, including UAVs. We subsequently pointed out that Turkish military personnel and equipment had remained stationed in Azerbaijan after the conclusion of these exercises.

It is well known that Turkey has been supporting Azerbaijan in the context of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since the 1990s, when it imposed a land blockade on the Republic of Armenia. However, Turkey’s support for Azerbaijani aggression has changed in nature: it is now characterized by a direct Turkish military presence on the ground. We firmly believe that Turkey has fanned militaristic sentiment in Azerbaijan and, in particular, that it has instigated the current aggression through its bellicose rhetoric and is providing technical and military support: for example, the Azerbaijani armed forces are fighting using Turkish weapons, including UAVs and warplanes.

After the start of the current Azerbaijani large-scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey once again assured Azerbaijan of its unreserved political and military support.

In terms of political backing, on 27 September, shortly after the first attacks, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, issued a statement addressed to his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in which he expressed Turkey’s unilateral support for Azerbaijan based on the concept of “one nation,two States”. President Erdoğan went even further by claiming that Armenia was the main threat to the peace and security of the region. These statements coming from the leader of a State that is either involved militarily on the territory of its neighbours or threatens the legitimate interests of other States is grotesquely cynical, to say the least.

Furthermore, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, stated that Turkey was ready to support Azerbaijan not only at the negotiating table but also on the battlefield. One of President Erdoğan’s senior advisers, Ilnur Cervik, assured the Azerbaijani Government of Turkey’s support no matter how far it went, insisting that Azerbaijan was free to act as it wished. The deputy chairman of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, Numan Kurtulmuş, stressed that Turkey perceived Azerbaijan’s problems as its own: “Armenia is engaged in provocations. We regard the attacks on Azerbaijan as an attack on Turkey.” He then added: “We will do everything to help brotherly Azerbaijan. In the end, it will win its struggle.”

As for the military assistance, on 27 September, two military airplanes of Turkey and Azerbaijan carried out at least six flights transferring military cargo. Four flights were conducted by a Turkish Airbus A400M-180, and two by an Azerbaijani Ilyushin IL-76TD. Additionally, another Ilyushin aircraft (IL-76TD-90VD), in this case belonging to the Azerbaijani company Silk Way Airlines, carried out a cargo flight between Turkey, Israel and Azerbaijan.

Moreover, there have been persistent credible reports of Syrian foreign terrorist fighters being recruited by Turkey and its local affiliates for deployment in Azerbaijan. This has not come as a surprise, since it is a tactic that Turkey has already used in Libya. Some 4,000 such fighters recruited to fight against Armenia and Artsakh are reported to have been sent by Turkey to Azerbaijan by 23 September. Already yesterday a number of international media outlets covered this matter. Not surprisingly, the only countries denying these reports are Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Turkey also provides full political and propaganda support to Azerbaijan at the highest level. In early September, Turkey and Azerbaijan agreed to establish a joint media platform aimed at exchanging news, specialists and opinions, and also at helping to promote both countries worldwide through social media. Ironically, since 27 September, when Azerbaijan launched its large-scale aggression against Artsakh, all social media in Azerbaijan have been blocked. The Azerbaijani population can thus not receive any reliable information.

Turkey’s stance does not surprise us. That country’s sentiments towards Armenia and the Armenian people are no secret to anyone, whether at this meeting or in the wider world for that matter. The statement just delivered by the Permanent Representative of Turkey goes to show that when Turkish officials speak about values and morality they discredit those notions.

Turkey, which a century ago annihilated the Armenian people in their historical homeland – a crime against humanity that it continues to deny to this day – now supports Azerbaijan in every possible way to perpetrate a similar genocidal act in the South Caucasus.

Ever since the July offensive – though even before then – and more so now, Turkish involvement in Azerbaijan’s military actions has been plain for everyone to see. Turkey is using the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a pretext to project its influence into the region and beyond – specifically to transform the South Caucasus into a zone of its exclusive political and military influence. This approach fits perfectly in the grand strategy or, I should say, the grand dream of Turkish President Erdoğan, who wishes to revive the Ottoman Empire. The war being waged in Artsakh today is the return of the ghost of that empire, which 105 years ago planned and carried out the Armenian Genocide. Under no circumstances can we allow this monstrous crime to be repeated.

Dear Colleagues,

A few minutes ago, the Ministry of Defence of Armenia reported that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet has attacked an Armenian SU-25 jet within the airspace of Armenia, thus escalating the conflict to a new level. The combat engagement of an aircraft belonging to Turkey, a NATO member, against Armenia’s sovereign territory attests to Turkey’s high level of irresponsibility and to that country’s true nature.

Turkey should immediately withdraw its military from Azerbaijan, including its air force. We think it is high time for the international community to reconsider its policy of appeasement and take the necessary measures so as to firmly dissuade Turkey from pursuing its destructive course. If the international community fails to act decisively now, we will soon reach the point of no return.

Mr. Chairperson,

Armenia has been and remains a staunch supporter of the mandate and activities of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and of the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office, which are aimed to assisting the parties in finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We have taken note of the recent statement issued by the Co-Chairs on 27 September, in which they “strongly condemn[ed] the use of force” and called to the sides “to cease hostilities immediately” and “to take all necessary measures to stabilize the situation on the ground”. The latest aggression by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia constitutes a grave violation of the 1994–1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements and other commitments. For the benefit of the Azerbaijani delegation, I should underline once again that the ceasefire agreements were signed between Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia. This is something that Azerbaijan should always bear in mind. However, instead of reconsidering its unconstructive and maximalist position on a number of issues related to the peace process, Azerbaijan, with the full support and encouragement of Turkey, is resorting to the tactics of unjustified criticism and blaming of others, including the Co-Chairs, for the lack of progress in the peace talks, threatening to withdraw from the negotiation process and to start a new war for Nagorno-Karabakh territories. This pattern has been going on for many years. Azerbaijan will pay a high price for unleashing this war and destabilizing the region – a price that should be both political and military. Already the Azerbaijani casualty toll is revealing the recklessness of President Aliyev’s policy to legitimize his and his family’s grip on power by sending his country’s people to die in battle.

Mr. Chairperson,

Attempts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force did not help back in the 1990s or in 2016; nor will they help now. Such attempts will merely cause further suffering and destruction, making the prospect of a peaceful settlement even more elusive.

Again, we believe that in the current situation the Co-Chairs should immediately travel to the region in order to undertake their internationally mandated efforts directly on the ground, together with the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office. Armenia stands ready to assist in every possible way with the organization of a visit by the Co-Chairs, and if anyone is hindering or opposing such a visit, then the Co-Chairs must state so clearly and publicly.

We concur with the long-standing position of the Co-Chairs and many others that there is no alternative to a peaceful negotiated solution to the conflict. Therefore, we believe that the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group and the OSCE participating States should raise their voice and urge those who unleashed this war to restore the ceasefire and return to the quest for a political and diplomatic settlement. The tremendous price that the peoples of the region are paying for this military adventure by Azerbaijan’s authoritarian leader should serve as a wake-up call to all, indicating the urgency of taking concrete action without delay.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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