Baku Believes OSCE Deviates from Its Mandate on Karabakh Settlement

Baku / 12.07.17 / Turan: OSCE"s activities on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are reduced to eliminating tension, despite the mandate given by the UN Security Council for a political settlement of the problem.

This is stated in the statement of the representative of Azerbaijan at the informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the OSCE member states in Mauerbach.

"Despite the mandate given by the UN Security Council resolutions to the OSCE, we see the main tendency is to eliminate tensions over the conflict, but until the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories is achieved, the problem will not be solved.

We must consolidate within the OSCE a unified position on the unacceptability of the status quo in the conflict. Given the various provocations Armenia resorts to along the front line, we have to change the status quo," the Azerbaijani representative said, the text of which is distributed by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to be the most serious threat to peace and security in the OSCE region.

The killing of two civilians as a result of the Armenian shelling of Azerbaijani settlements became a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the diplomat said.

This attack on civilians proves that Armenia is trying to provoke Azerbaijan into retaliatory actions in order to disrupt the peace talks.

"The ruling regime of Armenia realizes that after the conflict settlement it will inevitably face a crisis of legitimacy, therefore it is forced to resort to such provocations." The political leadership of Armenia understands that the peaceful settlement of the conflict in accordance with international law will culminate in the restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over the occupied lands and territorial integrity. That is why the current leadership resorts to any methods to prolong the life of its regime," the speech further noted.

Armenia must realize that, relying on the preservation of the status quo, it risks completely losing its independence and becoming an instrument in political games in the region.

"Only by settling the conflict peacefully, and having established good-neighborly relations with Azerbaijan and other countries of the region, the Armenian state will be able to provide for its people a good future and benefit from the development of the region," the statement stressed. -06D-