Armenia Will Not Tolerate Azerbaijan's Provocative Actions, Says Armenian Permanent Representative to OSCE

During the OSCE Permanent Council meeting held in Vienna today, May 13, the Armenian delegation presented a point titled "On Azerbaijan's Incursion into Armenian Sovereign Territory" under the agenda item "Current Issues." This information was provided by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Armenian Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, informed the OSCE member states about the incursion by armed Azerbaijani groups towards the Syunik region of Armenia on May 12. He noted that Armenia considers these actions as an infringement on its sovereign territory, aiming to create new flare-ups of tension along the Armenian state border, as well as exert psychological pressure on the civilian population of border communities.

Ambassador Papikyan also mentioned that the Armenian government is currently seeking to resolve the situation peacefully to avoid further escalation and possible casualties. At the same time, he emphasized that Armenia will not tolerate such provocative actions from Azerbaijan.

The ambassador further pointed out that Azerbaijan's actions were preceded by warlike statements from its president, containing territorial claims towards the Syunik region, even threatening the use of force. He also informed that amid Azerbaijan's provocative actions, military drills are taking place in that country without prior notification, in violation of the 2011 Vienna Document's requirements. At least two military exercises conducted by Azerbaijan in recent years were followed by attacks against Artsakh, in 2016 and 2020.

In summarizing his remarks, Ambassador Papikyan urged OSCE member states to respond appropriately to Azerbaijan's aggressive actions, noting that such gross violations of international law by Azerbaijan pose serious threats to peace and security in the region.