The Issue of Encouragement of Crimes Against Armenians by Azerbaijan on the OSCE Minsk Group Agenda

On July 30, in Vienna, at the initiative of the Armenian delegation, the issue of the encouragement of hate-based crimes by Azerbaijan was included in the agenda of the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, reported by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, presented the violence that has occurred against Armenians and members of Armenian communities in OSCE participating states and elsewhere, cases of disruption of the normal operation of Armenia's diplomatic representations in certain countries, and the deliberate destruction of their properties. He noted that these incidents are hate crimes committed by certain groups of Azerbaijanis on the basis of ethnic identity, aimed at terrorizing and persecuting ethnic Armenians and members of Armenian community structures.

Furthermore, Ambassador Papikyan informed representatives of OSCE participating countries that the aggressive actions of these Azerbaijani groups were organized and directed by Azerbaijani embassies in those countries. Moreover, evidence provided by the Armenian side indicates that in at least one case, the Turkish embassy also supported the organization of these actions.

The Ambassador emphasized that violence against Armenians in various countries, although seemingly a new phenomenon, nevertheless represents a continuation of the anti-Armenian propaganda to which Azerbaijani society has been subjected for decades. In this regard, the Permanent Representative of Armenia indicated that the policy of inciting hatred towards Armenians among the population of Azerbaijan is carried out at the highest state level.

Ambassador Papikyan then noted that Armenia has consistently drawn the attention of its international partners to the anti-Armenian policy and propaganda of the Azerbaijani authorities, warning that in the presence of such a high level of hatred, it can easily spill over into other countries, as we are witnessing today. “We are convinced that the lack of appropriate response from the international community, which is tantamount to tolerance towards Azerbaijan and its authoritarian regime's behavior, further encourages that regime to continue its propaganda of hatred towards Armenians,” he stated.

In his speech, the Permanent Representative of Armenia strongly condemned the violence against Armenians in various countries, which is yet another manifestation of Baku's irresponsible policies and is consistent with Azerbaijan's leadership's policy and rhetoric of inciting enmity between the two peoples without geographical limitations.