STATEMENT OF H. E. MR. VARTAN OSKANIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily #221
30/11/2007

OSCE 15th Ministerial Council, November 29, 2007, Madrid, Spain

Mr. Chairman, Dear Colleagues,

It’s already the end of the day, let me briefly address a few
topics. One related to OSCE reforms.

Second, CFE; Third, a little bit about Armenia’s elections and
finally about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. But before all that,
let me commend the Spanish chairmanship for the very good work they’ve
done during the year.

Although the organization has been evolving ever since its inception,
we have really changed in this last half decade. Some of those
changes, intended to enhance the effectiveness of the organization,
appear sometimes to burden its structures, and sometimes even disturb
the delicate balance among the various components of what we still
believe is a correct premise – that security is indivisible.

The OSCE’s three dimensions have provided each of us with something
to hang on to. Today the equilibrium among our three pillars begins
to wobble because of the centrifugal effect of so much criss-crossing
of priorities and interests. There’s an uncomfortable shift in balance.

This is why Armenia does not think reform should be taboo nor do we
consider the reform process a wasteful exercise. The Herald Tribune
even raised these points this morning. No large, complex organization,
private or public, can maintain its relevance and improve its
performance simply by assuming that all is well. At the OSCE, our
greatest challenge is to alter the experience of some delegations
who find that the playing field is uneven. An organization based on
consensus presumably believes in a level playing field. It is not a
matter of being and feeling equal, rather of having an equal right
to defend our interests.

Because this unevenness becomes more apparent and more problematic
at the level of institutions and missions, believing in enhancing
ODIHR’s autonomy and effectiveness, we have attempted to seek in
ODIHR greater evenhandedness, transparency, non-selectivity, and
region-blindness particularly in its election-related activities.

As for OSCE missions, Armenia has already raised the issue, secure
in the very satisfactory, beneficial and cooperative performance
of the office in Yerevan. But we believe that as their numbers,
mandates and operations evolve, the whole missions system needs an
adjustment to reduce the perception of favorite tracks and sometimes
quasi-permanent dependency. The ultimate benefit of any mission will
be evident when that mission, having completed its work, makes itself
redundant. That is why we emphasize capacity building as the next
priority for the Yerevan office.

Mr. Chairman, as I reflect on the priorities of the organization as
a whole, I must address the CFE, a foundational issue and one that
plays an important role in the edifice of military strategic security
for the area. Presently it is in trouble. We are a state party and
the effective functioning of a Treaty in full implementation is
essential to our national security. Frankly, we are deeply concerned
by our neighbor Azerbaijan blatantly and unapologetically exceeding
by substantial numbers its holdings of TLEs.

It is in this sense that the reinvigoration of the CFE and its adapted
successor is vital for all state parties.

Mr. Chairman,

It seems our whole region is getting ready for an electoral year. In
Armenia, we concluded parliamentary elections in May and scored quite
a satisfactory rating in the eyes of the international community. My
government has every intention to maintain the momentum in the
Presidential elections coming in February. These, at a time when
Armenia is socially, economically a new country and we are seeing
the return of hope and optimism.

Mr. Chairman,

Finally, something on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

On the one hand, through successive meetings of Presidents and Foreign
Ministers, we have arrived at a working document that can serve as
the basis for a preliminary agreement. Today, we met with the top
diplomats of the co-chair countries whose concern is that we preserve
what we have achieved and go further.

We understand and appreciate their special attention and their
recognition of the progress made in this process.

That document addresses the core issue – the security of the people
of Nagorno Karabakh, through self-determination – as well as the
issues of refugees and territories that came about as a result of
that self-determination struggle.

Unfortunately, outside of the negotiation process, there is another,
contradictory and disheartening reality. First, there are militaristic
calls ringing from the highest levels of Azerbaijan’s leadership;
second, Baku’s systematic, organized hate propaganda has reached
frightening levels within Azerbaijan.

Third, Azerbaijan’s willful obstruction of international envoys
entrusted with monitoring the conflict and the region is threatening to
upset the fine balance that we have sustained, and fourth, their active
and aggressive search for alternative international forums in which
to present their case, rebuffs their responsibility to compromise.

As hopeful as we are that a negotiated settlement is possible, this
hostile atmosphere concerns us.

Armenians believe there will be no new wars in our region. I know this
because we won’t start it, and they know they can’t win it. There is
no military solution for this conflict. The only solution is one based
on compromise, and in that sense, this document denies each side their
maximalist desires and focuses instead on a sensible, respectable,
acceptable solution that can be explained to ordinary people.

And will make it possible for ordinary people to reconnect over time
and across political boundaries in a space split by war and hatred. For
this to happen, the extraordinary people, those endowed with the
power to lead must demonstrate vision and instill trust, re-create a
Caucasus space and contibute to the region’s stability and prosperity.

In this context and as members of this broad and inclusive European
organization, we look enviously at the countries of Europe, all of
whom, even those who were shaken to the core by the transformation of
the world order, have found ways to place problems onto an agenda,
without allowing those problems to abort the agenda. Perhaps we in
the Caucasus will be next in adopting such European approaches to
regional problems.

Mr. Chairman, as we prepare to welcome Finland, and hopefully soon
after that Kazakhstan, perhaps I can even say the unmentionable:
it’s never been more true than today that this organization’s annual
meetings have never been just formal get-togethers. It is at times
like this, when there are 6 or 7 daily headlines about the real
tensions in the OSCE space, that we can be thankful that we do have
this forum and we can commit to continuing to work to adapt it to
our ever-increasing demands.

Thank you.