Special Meeting of the Permanent Council Held at the Initiative of the Armenian Mission to the OSCE, Ambassador

A special meeting of the Permanent Council of the OSCE was held at the initiative of the Armenian mission, where the mission's head, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, delivered a speech detailing the recent wide-scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 19. The information was reported by the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

He noted that Azerbaijan is violating international law and the provisions of the trilateral statement on the cessation of hostilities from November 9, 2020.

"The Azerbaijani armed forces have intentionally shelled the capital city of Stepanakert and other civilian settlements using heavy artillery, combat aviation, and drones, targeting civilian infrastructure, resulting in casualties and injuries among the civilian population," said Papikyan.

The ambassador emphasized that Azerbaijan pursues a single goal: to implement ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh through the use of force, depriving the Armenian people of their right to live and create freely and with dignity in their homeland.

Armen Papikyan highlighted that the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, ongoing for more than nine months, and the use of hunger as a method of warfare is an integral part of Azerbaijan's systematic policy of ethnic cleansing.

He also stressed the urgent need for the international community to intervene promptly and meaningfully, and to establish international mechanisms for ensuring the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ambassador expressed gratitude to the international partners who have unequivocally condemned Azerbaijan's aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, while adding that statements are no longer sufficient, and concrete actions must be taken against Azerbaijan, including targeted sanctions.

He called on the OSCE Chairperson and the Secretariat to monitor developments closely and to consistently apply the existing tools of the OSCE.