VIDEO: Edmon Marukyan Addresses Aliyev's Demand to Dissolve the Minsk Group

Aliyev, in essence, wants to eliminate all grounds related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the rights of the people of Artsakh within international law, and he is doing this through an ultimatum. This was stated by the former Armenian representative on special issues, Edmon Marukyan, while commenting on the Azerbaijani President's demand to dissolve the Minsk Group.

“Why does Aliyev want to erase all traces related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Because he understands very well that he is committing genocide; he knows that he is perpetrating genocide against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, conducting ethnic cleansing against an entire nation that has lived there for centuries, and he understands that their right to return is valid; they continue to have rights regarding that territory. The Artsakh people have many rights, supported by international law, although the Republic of Armenia has closed the subject completely, and absolutely nothing is being discussed or raised on this issue,” he noted.

If you have been attentive, the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Louis Bono, is now merely referred to as the South Caucasus envoy, as requested by Azerbaijan; they no longer call him the co-chair of the Minsk Group. This means that Aliyev's demands in this respect are being implemented with a clear agenda in the Republic of Armenia.

According to Marukyan, Aliyev essentially wants to remove all bases of international law related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the rights of the people of Artsakh through an ultimatum—indicating that if you do not act, I will present territorial demands,” he stated.

Marukyan points out that Armenia has stated at all platforms that it recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan; he noted this in Prague, after which the Lachin Corridor was closed, and thereafter, Artsakh was subjected to ethnic cleansing, with Armenia receiving nothing in return—Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia and to include the Alma-Ata declaration in the peace treaty.

“This means that all its obligations that Azerbaijan supposedly assumed in Western platforms are not being maintained; Armenia has simply been deprived of all possible tools. Only a few tools remain, such as the issue of the rights of the people of Artsakh, which Armenia is shutting down, which it is not shutting down by its own hand, but Azerbaijan is approaching Armenia and saying, ‘Let us together close it, because we are closing this topic together.’ The OSCE Minsk Group is currently non-functional, but no one can say whether it will function in the future or not; it may operate one day, and for this reason, Aliyev wants to close it,” Marukyan said.

Marukyan emphasizes that closing the Minsk Group is incorrect, as the people of Artsakh have rights, and the Minsk Group was created specifically for the resolution of the conflict.

“Therefore, the Republic of Armenia should not appeal to Azerbaijan regarding the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group at least on three issues: the issue of refugees, their rights in terms of cultural heritage, and property issues. These issues are being addressed or not addressed,” he mentioned.
For more details, see the video.