Statement delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1290 PC Meeting in Response to the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, to the PRCiO and the Head of the HLPG

19 November, 2020

The Delegation of Armenia thanks the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov, Stephane Visconti and Andrew Schofer for their appearance to the Permanent Council and for their report.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs continue to remain the only internationally agreed format which, throughout these years, accumulated the required knowledge of the history and root causes of the conflict as well as the situation on the ground. All issues concerning Nagorno-Karabakh peace process are subject to discussion within this format.

It is regrettable that the previous ceasefires consequently negotiated and facilitated by the three Co-Chair countries of the Minsk Group and agreed upon by the sides, were violated by Azerbaijan almost immediately after leaving the negotiating table.

Armenia was a staunch supporter of the peaceful negotiation process within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and, after 44 days of extremely brutal war unleashed by Azerbaijan, continues to believe that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Armenia has always advocated for peaceful resolution of the conflict, consistently rejecting “all or nothing approach” and actions based on the threat or use of force. Therefore, any situation resulting from aggression and war, accompanied by large-scale violations of international law and international humanitarian law, war crimes and ethnic cleansing, could not be in any way considered as sustainable and a basis for lasting and political solution of the conflict.

Mr. Chairman,

We would like to commend the active engagement and personal and tireless efforts of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov aimed at cessation of hostilities which currently holds thanks to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers.

At the same time, the major issues of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remain, which require political solution, and should be addressed within the negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship of France, Russian Federation and the United States. Issues of the political status of Artsakh, safety and security of its population of Artsakh, dignified and secure return of recently displaced persons are fundamental blocks for the comprehensive resolution of the conflict and lasting and sustainable peace in the region.

Despite the continued challenges posed by the COVID-19 we nevertheless expect that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs will redouble their efforts to that end.

Mr. Chairman,

We took note of the report of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk. The office of the PRCiO is the only OSCE presence on the ground and throughout years played an important role in monitoring the ceasefire and reducing the risk of resumption of military hostilities.

The suspension, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, of the monitoring activities by the office of the PRCiO played its negative role. Furthermore, on September 25, two days before unleashing war on Artsakh, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan rejected the request by the PRCiO to organize ceasefire monitoring along the Line of Contact. This fact should have served as an early warning signal, and we regret that there was no adequate reaction to this Azerbaijani decision.

Mr. Chairman,

Let me also thank the Head of the HLPG, Lieutenant Colonel Sulo Mustafaraj for his presentation. Our position with regard to the High-Level Planning Group is well-known. HLPG with its current composition does not enjoy our support. The HLPG and all its members should be able to treat all parties to the conflict in an equal and impartial manner, and only then the Group may enjoy support and consent of all parties to the conflict. The war, once again vividly demonstrated the legitimacy of our concerns in this regard. Moreover, the position of an external party to the conflict, along with the attempts of Azerbaijan to change the mandate of the group, is counterproductive and obstructs the work of the HLPG.

With these words, let me once again thank the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, PRCiO and head of the HLPG for their appearance and express our support to the redoubling of the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group towards the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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