Statement on "The aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh and Armenia with the direct involvement of Turkey and foreign terrorist fighters: Recent Developments" as delivered by Ambassador Armen Papikyan at the 1364th meeting of the Permanent Council

25 March, 2022

Mr. Chairperson,

We originally had no intention of raising a current issue during this meeting of the Permanent Council. However, in view of the evolving situation on the line of contact in Nagorno‑Karabakh, we have now decided to do so.

Dear colleagues,

Against the backdrop of a profound security crisis in Europe, when the situation in Ukraine understandably commands the bulk of the OSCE participating States’ attention, the delegation of Armenia is once again obliged to draw the Permanent Council’s attention to the recent provocative actions by the Azerbaijani armed forces on the line of contact in Artsakh.

In addition to the impending humanitarian crisis in Artsakh due to Azerbaijan’s disruption of the gas supply, the unresolved issue of Armenian prisoners of war, which I spoke about yesterday, and the destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh, there have been further developments.

You may know that yesterday in the late afternoon, Azerbaijani forces infiltrated the village of Parukh in Artsakh in a clear violation of the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 on a ceasefire, which stipulated that the forces had to remain in the positions they were holding at the time of its signature.

Russian peacekeepers unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with the Azerbaijani side to induce them to withdraw their forces from the village to their previous positions.

Yesterday evening and during the night, the Azerbaijani armed forces attempted to advance further. The Azerbaijani military opened fire on the positions of the Artsakh Defence Army, using firearms of various calibres and unmanned combat aerial vehicles. The Artsakh forces were forced to engage with the aggressor in order to halt its advance. As a result, two soldiers of the Nagorno‑Karabakh Defence Army have been killed and 14 wounded.

This morning, as at 9 a.m. local time, the situation was relatively calm, though it continues to remain tense․

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued two statements yesterday and today pointing out that these aggressive actions by Azerbaijan once again demonstrate that the authorities in Baku continue to grossly violate the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, which provided for the cessation of hostilities, for the parties to remain at their current positions and for a peacekeeping contingent from the Russian Federation to be deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Ministry stressed that these actions had been preceded by Azerbaijan’s complete disruption of the only gas pipeline supplying Artsakh, the targeting of civilian infrastructure with large-calibre weapons, terrorizing threats against the Armenians of Artsakh, and other steps aimed at ethnic cleansing.

Together with the drastic escalation of the security situation in Europe, such actions by the authorities of Azerbaijan gravely endanger regional stability and peace.

We expect the Russian peacekeeping forces, in whose area of responsibility the provocation has taken place, to take measures to ensure that the Azerbaijani troops immediately return to their initial positions and adhere to the commitments undertaken under the trilateral statement of 9 November.

We strongly condemn this unprovoked escalation and call upon Azerbaijan to abandon its maximalist and aggressive policy and to engage, in good faith, in negotiations on all issues related to and resulting from the Nagorno‑Karabakh conflict.

We call on the Chairperson-in-Office, the OSCE institutions and executive structures, our partners and the international community in general to make a clear assessment of Azerbaijan’s provocative actions aimed at undermining the peace process, and to support efforts to establish peace in the South Caucasus and achieve a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We reiterate that the Government of Armenia is committed to all efforts to bring peace and prosperity to our region. To that end, it has adopted a strategy of opening an era of peaceful development for the region and is resolutely undertaking necessary steps in that direction. Reaching a lasting and sustainable peace in the region is one of our Government’s priorities.

Thank you.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications