‘That Invasion by Azerbaijan is Pre-planned Aggression’ - Mirzoyan

The assumption of the presidency by Poland in the OSCE coincided with the most serious security crisis in the European region—the military operations unfolding in Ukraine. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan after a meeting with the current OSCE Chairman, Poland's Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, in Yerevan.

“It is clear that this draws a significant portion of the OSCE's attention, but we expect that the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will remain on the OSCE's agenda. This is particularly important these days, when Azerbaijan is using geopolitical developments to continue its policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Mirzoyan.

The minister highlighted that a vivid example of this is Azerbaijan's invasion of the territory of Artsakh on March 24, specifically in the village of Parukh located in the area under the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces. The military operations were preceded by continuous gunfire directed at Armenian settlements and civilian infrastructure.

Azerbaijan had interrupted the operation of the only gas pipeline vital for Nagorno-Karabakh and gas supply in severe weather conditions, Mirzoyan stated.

He emphasized that the invasion by Azerbaijan is a pre-planned act of aggression, which is a blatant disregard for the commitments undertaken by the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. In this situation, he stated, a clear response from the OSCE chairman and the international community becomes imperative, while the unhindered involvement of international humanitarian organizations in Nagorno-Karabakh is urgent to prevent the humanitarian crisis.

“We are pleased to note that the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group have already issued a clear assessment of the recent escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh, stating that it is a consequence of the movement of Azerbaijani forces,” added Mirzoyan.