FM Spokesman: OSCE MG co-chairs should draw conclusions from public discontent

There is a lack of security in the South Caucasus region, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict lies at the root of this, said Hikmat Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman.

Hajiyev made the remark at an international public forum titled “Armenia’s occupation policy: security in the region and humanitarian tragedy.” The forum was organized by the Research Center for International Relations and the Azerbaijani Council of Support to Non-Governmental Organizations in Baku on June 22, Trend reported.

The spokesman said that the ceasefire should have created conditions for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. “However, Armenia uses the ceasefire regime as an artificial factor. The situation resembles trench warfare and the World War II,” he said, noting that Armenia has not changed its strategy over the past 25 years.

“They are trying to prolong the occupation of our lands and ensure that the negotiations of the parties have only a protocol nature,” Hajiyev said, adding that Azerbaijan stands for substantive talks on the conflict resolution.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

Hajiyev went on to say that Azerbaijan has been facing a major humanitarian catastrophe during the past 25 years, with over a million refugees and internally displaced persons.

“The status quo is primarily based on the fact of military aggression. The OSCE Minsk Group cochairs again visited the region this month. There is a public discontent in Azerbaijan about the co-chairs’ visits to the region. They should draw conclusions from this,” Hajiyev said.

He added that although Azerbaijan supports the work of the cochairs, the result is obvious.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

The OSCE Minsk Group cochairs, tasked in mediation of the peace talks over the NagornoKarabakh conflict, finalized their next visit to the conflict region this week to get acquainted with the real situation on the ground and mull the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.

During the visit, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Richard Hoagland of the U.S. and Stephane Visconti of France, together with Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to Yerevan, Armenia-occupied NagornoKarabakh and then to Baku.

Hajiyev mentioned that in their statement, the co-chairs called on the sides to hold substantive talks and demonstrate political will. “The Armenian side should take this into account. The latest statements by Armenian officials show that Armenia does not have a constructive position.”

He added that yesterday the U.S. Department of State also called on the sides to resume substantive talks.

Hajiyev underlined that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and after the return of the Azerbaijani community. “Armenia should realize this. Azerbaijan will never accept violation of its territorial integrity,” he concluded.