The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Austria informs:

On 26 November, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the OSCE, Ambassador Armen Papikyan made a speech within the framework of the OSCE Permanent Council session, under the item “Current Issues”, the issue entitled “The situation in Nagorno Karabakh and its surroundings” was discussed.

In his speech, Ambassador Papikian particularly noted that the OSCE participating States have made a political commitment to adhere to all the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Document, while regretting that in the context of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the OSCE demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to respond quickly and appropriately to Azerbaijan, first and foremost, in the face of blatant violations of the principles of force or its threat and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

He noted that the large-scale war unleashed by Azerbaijan on 27 September against Artsakh, in which Turkey, foreign armed terrorists and jihadists were directly involved, clearly violated all the principles of the Helsinki Final Document. Moreover, Azerbaijan was encouraged by the inadequate response of the international community, in some places even its absence.

The ambassador noted that Armenia’s position in terms of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unchanged, based on the Helsinki final document. The Armenian side accepted the three principles of the settlement, the law on the non-use of force or its non-use, the territorial integrity of the countries and the right of nations to equality and self-determination, which were proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and adopted by the OSCE in 2009.

Reaffirmed Armenia’s position and support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs as the only international mandate for a peaceful settlement.

He noted that due to the personal involvement and actions of the Russian President, there is a ceasefire in Artsakh today, and this is the main achievement of the November 9 statement.

He stressed that the situation created as a result of the use of force cannot be considered as a fact, as a basis for negotiations over the conflict, and as a basis for a stable political settlement.

In this context, he noted that only the settlement reached as a result of political negotiations, without any destabilizing, dangerous involvement of a third country, can be considered as a final, local political solution to the conflict, promoting peace and harmony in the region.

Therefore, Turkey, which by its actions hinders the progress in the settlement, cannot and should not play any role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He mentioned the issue of Artsakh’s status and security, the provision of safe and dignified return of the recently displaced population of Artsakh, and the reference to other urgent humanitarian and social issues as priority issues that require immediate solution.

He stressed that Armenia appreciates the efforts and involvement of France, Russia and the United States as OSCE MG Co-Chairs, expressing hope that the Co-Chairs will take even more active and purposeful steps to achieve a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the Karabakh conflict.