Armenian Ambassador: Main Obstacle for Karabakh Settlement is Azerbaijan

VIENNA (combined sources) — Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Arman Kirakosian said at the OSCE Permanent Council Meeting that the policy of Azerbaijan is the main obstacle in Nagorno- Karabakh conflict settlement.

“The principles of the Helsinki Final Act are of equal importance and all OSCE member states, including Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be based on the principles of non-use of fore, the right of peoples to self-determination and territorial integrity,” Kirakosian said, as he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council.

He said that anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijan has never changed in the last 25 years. “Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination, which has been recognized by the Minsk Group co-chairing countries as one of the basic principles of settlement. The determination of the final status of Nagorno Karabakh through legally binding expression of will lays in the basis of the resolution,” The ambassador said.

The Armenian Ambassador said “the people of Nagorno Karabakh have gained de facto independence, thus realizing its inalienable right to self-determination in compliance with the USSR legislature and the norms of international law. Azerbaijani claims to sovereignty over the people of Nagorno Karabakh are baseless.”

The Head of the Armenian Mission reconfirmed Armenia’s support for the agreed format of OSCE Minsk Group and stressed that Azerbaijan’s demands on the expansion of the OSCE Minsk Group format are destructive and have negative impact on the peace process.

The Armenian Ambassador further noted that “Azerbaijan has turned down the proposals to withdraw snipers from the frontline and create a mechanism for investigation of border incidents. He reconfirmed the principled approach of the Armenian side that “the reinforcement of the ceasefire regime will create preconditions for a peaceful negotiated settlement, while through escalation of the situation Azerbaijan carries responsibility for the maintenance of the status quo.”