Statement delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1298th Special Meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in response to Ann Linde, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden

14 January, 2021

Madame Chairperson,

The Delegation of Armenia warmly welcomes at the Permanent Council the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, H.E. Ann Linde and thanks her for presenting the programme and priorities of the Swedish Chairpersonship.

Distinguished Chairperson-in-Office,

Armenia from the very beginning unreservedly supported Sweden’s bid to steer our Organization in 2021. In our support we were guided by, among other things, the determination of Sweden to protect and promote our common European and human rights values that underpin the fundamental principles of this Organisation. At the same time, it is obvious that while taking up the OSCE Chairmanship, Sweden will not only benefit from the praiseworthy work carried out during the Albanian Chairmanship and build on last year’s the achievements but will also face some of the challenges remaining from 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the dire humanitarian consequences of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh have been disastrous for the people of Armenia and Artsakh.

From 27 September to 9 November 2020 Azerbaijan launched a premeditated military offensive against Artsakh leading to the most intense and destructive crisis in the region since the 1990s, in grave violation of the ceasefire agreements and international humanitarian law. In what has become the biggest military escalation in times of a global pandemic, Azerbaijan with the direct military and political involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters carried out massive attacks against Artsakh and its people. The international community witnessed the recruitment, transfer and deployment of foreign terrorist fighters, use of cluster and chemical munitions, deliberate targeting of civilian population, including women, children, humanitarian and medical workers and journalists, destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment of prisoners of war, mutilations and other atrocities carried out by Azerbaijani side. The destruction and attempts of appropriation of the Armenian cultural heritage are still ongoing despite the assurances at the highest level. All these unprecedented in their nature and scale recurrences taking place in the area of responsibility of the OSCE and have revealed the shortcomings and ailments of this Organisation.

The inability to properly respond to these emerging challenges and security threats, bearing in mind, first and foremost, the early warning and conflict prevention functions and the competence of this Organisation on countering terrorism, was extremely discouraging.

Such passive posture of this Organisation in times of security crisis would considerably damage the standing and the relevance of the OSCE within the European security architecture. Unfortunately, this organization is no longer perceived by many as an Organisation responsible for security and co-operation in Europe. In this regard, we welcome your willingness to “inspire change, increase trust and security”, which are vital for our ability to try to uphold the OSCE concept of comprehensive security.

Excellency,

After the signing of the trilateral statement of November 9 on ceasefire, Armenia embarked on the process of its implementation in good faith and expects the same responsible behaviour on the part of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, by disavowing its own signature and in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, on December 11, Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and launched a major offensive operation, occupying the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in Artsakh, thereby advancing its military positions in violation of the line of contact established by the trilateral statement. As a result of this offensive, 64 Armenian servicemen were captured. Notably, the Azerbaijani side announced the launching of a prosecution process against the POWs about a month after the capture of the Armenian servicemen, which demonstrates that Azerbaijan is using Armenian prisoners of war as hostages to advance its political agenda.

So far negotiations on this issue did not yield any results. I hope that the immediate and unconditional release and repatriation of the Armenian POWs and civilian hostages, including three women, which is a purely humanitarian issue, will be pursued also by the Swedish Chairmanship. The civilised world should speak up with one voice and make it clear to the leadership of Azerbaijan that this tactic of intimidation and taking hostages for whatever political purposes will not be tolerated.

Against this background, unfortunately, another violation of the ceasefire took place yesterday, in the central direction of the Line of Contact between the current positions of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, as a result of which an Armenian soldier was seriously wounded. Armenia strongly condemns this unprovoked violation of the 9th November trilateral statement on cessation of hostility and once again calls on Azerbaijan to honour its commitments.

Distinguished Chairperson-in-Office,

The current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is the result of a blatant violation of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, namely refraining from the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, equal rights and self-determination of peoples, not to mention the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Therefore, there should be no illusion - the outcome of the use of force, accompanied with war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law cannot be the basis for a lasting and sustainable peace.

Excellency,

We welcome your determination to support and contribute to the resolution of conflicts in the OSCE area. We positively note that, as Chair of the OSCE and a member of the Minsk Group, Sweden will continue to support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs for a peaceful, comprehensive and sustainable resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Lasting and sustainable peace in the region should be achieved only through the comprehensive resolution of the conflict that will include the status of Nagorno-Karabakh based on the realization of the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh, de-occupation of its territory, ensuring the safe and dignified return of the displaced population to their homes and preservation of the cultural and religious heritage of the region. This should be done through negotiations within the international recognised framework of the Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

In conclusion, the Delegation of Armenia wishes you and your able team a successful and productive Chairmanship. Please, rest assured that Sweden can count on Armenia`s constructive engagement in your efforts to restore the relevance of the OSCE as a genuine security organisation. We also look forward to cooperating with your Chairmanship during the trimester of Armenia`s FSC Chairmanship.

MFA RA
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