Border Delimitation Should Not Become a Tool for Territorial Claims Against Armenia: Mirzoyan

On December 1, the 29th Ministerial Council of the OSCE took place in the city of Łódź, Poland, with the participation of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who delivered a speech: “Dear colleagues, first of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the OSCE Polish presidency for leading the organization throughout the year and for organizing this meeting. This year has been marked by enormous challenges for the European security architecture. We have continuously witnessed the violation of our commitments, including the ten principles of the Helsinki Final Act. Unfortunately, the South Caucasus is one of the regions where we face a persistent application of force and threats of force. Our neighbor Azerbaijan not only continues its aggressive and bellicose rhetoric but also military aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia. This year, on September 13-14, Azerbaijan unleashed unprovoked aggression, seizing about 140 square kilometers of Armenia's sovereign territory. This was the third large-scale attack against Armenia since the signing of the trilateral statement on November 9, 2020. As a result of this aggression, we have had 233 casualties, including civilian residents, thousands of internally displaced persons from Armenia, targeted settlements, and civil infrastructure, causing severe economic and environmental damage. The most brutal manifestations of war crimes, including extrajudicial killings and torture of Armenian servicemen and women, are characteristic features of Azerbaijani aggression.

We want to express our gratitude to those partners who do not shy away from pointing out the aggressor and emphasize the necessity of properly investigating the war crimes and punishing the perpetrators. It is equally important to demand the complete withdrawal of Azerbaijani armed forces from Armenia’s sovereign territories. Their ongoing presence in internationally recognized areas of Armenia poses a serious challenge to fragile peace and stability in our region. Moreover, in the same year, in March and August, Azerbaijan continued its provocative and aggressive actions against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. In clear violation of the trilateral statements, Azerbaijan subjected yet another settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing and attempted to obstruct the functioning of the Lachin corridor, which is a ‘lifeline’ for more than 120,000 people.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is difficult to think about achieving peace in the separate segment of the OSCE region under current conditions. Nevertheless, the Armenian government has demonstrated political will and is taking decisive steps towards opening a new era of peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Despite frequent provocations from the Azerbaijani side, we have not ceased our negotiations on the resolution of relations, the unblocking of all transport and economic links, border delimitation, and border security. Let me clearly state that Armenia is ready to commence the unblocking of communication routes when Azerbaijan agrees that all roads should fully operate under our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national legislation.

Our border delimitation process should not become a tool for making territorial claims against Armenia and thus should be carried out based on legally grounded maps. In this regard, the agreements reached in Prague and Sochi this year, particularly the commitment to carry out delimitation based on the UN Charter and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, will facilitate this process.

We believe that the rights and security of the Nagorno-Karabakh people should also be comprehensively addressed. These issues have always been at the core of the peace process led by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Dear colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to express Armenia's gratitude and continued support for the missions deployed by the EU and OSCE to assess and monitor the situation on the ground. In the current circumstances, when Azerbaijan is cloaking its use of force against Armenia with fabricated accusations, an international presence on the ground and a clear stance against aggression and aggressor states are more crucial than ever. We continue to believe that the OSCE, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, and the OSCE mechanisms, with their accumulated knowledge and experience, can and should contribute to establishing stability and lasting peace in the region. Thank you!”