Search for Conflict Resolution Paths Should Not Have Artificial Restrictions: Artsakh MFA to US Ambassador

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh has issued a statement regarding the comments made by the US Ambassador to Armenia in an interview with Public Television of Armenia on July 3, 2023, about the prospects for resolving the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

While acknowledging the important long-term mediation role that the United States has played and continues to play in the peaceful resolution process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, we believe that the approaches of the mediators should not predetermine the outcome of negotiations.

We are convinced that a successful resolution to a complex and protracted conflict such as the Azerbaijani-Karabakh issue can only be achieved if all parties to the conflict and the mediators demonstrate flexibility, creativity, and constructiveness, fully aware of their responsibilities, and are guided by international legal norms as well as universal values such as justice, dignity, and freedom.

We believe that unwavering adherence to these principles and the application of the accumulated mediating experience of the OSCE Minsk Group will contribute to a just and comprehensive resolution of the conflict and the establishment of stable and dignified peace in the region.

In the context of Azerbaijan's apparent genocidal intentions toward the people of Artsakh, its policy of conquest and ethnic cleansing, the ongoing inhumane blockade, repeated instances of violence and aggression, growing hate speech, and militaristic rhetoric, similar statements remind us of the policy of appeasing the aggressor. As historical experience shows, appeasing the aggressor is perceived as encouragement for its destructive policies, leading only to further violence and human suffering.

We reiterate that the search for fair, balanced, and dignified paths to resolving the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict should not have artificial restrictions but should be based on the norms and principles of international law, including the right to self-determination and equality of peoples as enshrined in the UN Charter. There are historical and international examples of resolving complex and prolonged conflicts based on the expression of the people's will.