Distinguished Valentina Ivanovna,
Dear colleagues, participants of the Session,
I am glad to give a speech in the 54th Plenary Session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.
Today, our meeting goes on in the period of the geopolitical most difficult processes. For the first time I am giving a speech at the CIS IPA Plenary Session and I would prefer to speak about peace and cooperation, but today’s realities are so that the efforts of Armenia and the international community fail by the bellicose rhetoric and military actions of Baku in the establishment of long-lasting peace in the South Caucasus region. As you all already know, on September 13, 2022, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, grossly violating the international law the ceasefire regime, have launched large-scale armed aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. As a result of Azerbaijan’s assault, the Armenian side has hundreds of victims, wounded, missing and prisoners of war, as well as several thousands of displaced persons. We have victims among the civilians, considerable damage was caused to the civilian infrastructure. Some parts of the sovereign territory of Armenia are occupied by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. These attacks preceded the actions of aggression in May, June and November 2021.
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Terrible cases of shooting, violence of Armenian prisoners of war, the dismemberment of the Armenian military servant captives. In the Azerbaijani social networks photos and video materials of tortures and dishonour towards the Armenian female military servants’ bodies have been spread. Unfortunately, those crimes condemned by the international community have been widely approved in the Azerbaijani society. In this context it is necessary to carry out decent international investigation, and the persons should be accountable for those committed crimes. Unfortunately, the absence of the unequivocal and targeted response by the international and regional structures, in response to not fulfilling its obligations, allowed Azerbaijan continuing its aggressive policy.
Armenia is faithful for the establishment of the long-term and fair peace on the CIS whole territory: the policy of threats and coercion is unacceptable for us. Concrete actions are necessary for the effective negotiation process, that is, the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, the unreserved maintenance of a ceasefire and the immediate free release of all Armenian prisoners of war and other held persons. We addressed the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) with the request of providing necessary assistance, including the military one to Armenia pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of the CSTO. In response to our application, extraordinary session of the Collective Security Council, as a result of which, mission has been sent to Armenia for monitoring and study of the situation. The mission has finished its work and presented conclusions and proposals.
We give special importance to the introduction of the monitoring and control international mechanisms of the border situation for preventing the new aggressions. On October 6 of this year, as a result of the agreements reached in Prague, the Technical Group of the EU Civil Monitoring Mission has arrived in Armenia.
A decision was made on the basis of the relevant documents of the OSCE Ministerial Council and at the request of Armenia to send the OSCE observers (the Needs Assessment OSCE Mission of the Republic of Armenia) to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Colleagues, I would like also to note our position of principle on the border delimitation with Azerbaijan and unblocking the transport communications. We have repeatedly stated that we aspire to establish relations on the basis of the partnership in the region. And we believe that the work of delimitation and further demarcation should be based on the CIS fundamental documents, according to which, the former administrative borders of the Soviet republics have become state borders between the already independent countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenia is ready to open what we had and to build new communications, in accordance with the national legislation of the countries through which they pass.
Azerbaijan always speaks about a corridor, about which there is not a word in November 9 trilateral statement. The word ‘corridor’ is mentioned exclusively in the statement on Lachin corridor, in the context of ensuring the Nagorno Karabakh security and has no relation to the theme of unblocking of transport means, and we consider all the parallels of those agreements manipulation.
Moreover, the trilateral working group chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia and the Vice President of the Government of the Russian Federation have decided that the facilities of the reconstructed and building transport infrastructure should function under the full sovereignty of the countries, through the territories they pass. Unfortunately, the manipulation of the trilateral statement text of November 9, 2020 has turned onto the policy of Azerbaijan, and it is reflected in the fact that on the contrary to it, in the statement signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the President of the Russian Federation the existence of Nagorno Karabakh is distinctly fixed, Azerbaijan announces that Nagorno Karabakh does not exist.
In the post-war period Azerbaijan was connecting the release of the captives with providing maps of minefields in case, when the obligation stemming from the trilateral statement was the exchange of all captives. Armenia has fulfilled its obligations of handing prisoners of war by the principle ‘all for all’ and as a humanitarian gesture has given all the maps of minefields to Azerbaijan. And now, after the last aggression the Azerbaijani side, despite the availability of the relevant agreement, impedes the withdrawal of the bodies of the victims being in the inter-position zones on the sovereign territory of Armenia.
The issue of preservation of the Armenian historical, cultural and spiritual heritage on the territories passed under the control of Azerbaijan.
Dear colleagues,
The lessons of history are such that the conflicts don’t have positive consequences for the world. The regulation of the relations with the neighbouring states is the prior problem of the Republic of Armenia. And we have shown will and constructive approach for finding mutually acceptable solutions of the disputable issues. We expect from Azerbaijan practical steps in strengthening peace and stability in the region through peaceful negotiations.
Thank you for your attention.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia