At the 27th meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan stated that the tripartite statement of November 9, signed by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, is not the final political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to Ayvazyan, Azerbaijan and Turkey consider “the situation resulting from the use of force, aggression and war, large-scale violations of international law, war crimes and ethnic cleansing” as a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Meanwhile, Armenia condemns the use of force against the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination and insists that “the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan.”

As a substantiation of this thought, the minister spoke about the ethnic cleansing of local residents during the war from the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh seized by Azerbaijan, torture and murder of those who remained alive as a result of hostilities.

The Armenian Foreign Minister presented the assessment of the Armenian side of the situation that arose during the hostilities in Karabakh from September 27 to November 9 and after their end.

Below – how Armenia sees the further settlement of the conflict, and other main messages from the minister’s speech.

• Azerbaijan, with the direct participation of Turkey and foreign terrorist and jihadist fighters, unleashed a large-scale war during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused even more dire consequences for the residents of NK and Armenia
• During the 44 days of the war, Azerbaijan and Turkey neglected their international commitments and violated their OSCE commitments, despite numerous calls from the Minsk Group co-chair countries
• Azerbaijan’s aggression was accompanied by numerous war crimes, including deliberate shelling of civilians and infrastructure, executions, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners of war and civilian captives, beheading, mutilation of the dead and other documented crimes with the aim of ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population
• The actions of Azerbaijan and its allies set a dangerous precedent for resolving conflict situations in the OSCE area of responsibility
• Azerbaijan’s aggression was provoked and supported politically and militarily by the Turkish leadership in its quest for the expansion of power in the South Caucasus and beyond.
• Azerbaijan and its allies unleashed a war against NK, falsely claiming the legal right to use force, which is a violation of international law

• Comprehensive conflict resolution and sustainable peace in the region includes:

1) the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, based on the realization of the right to self-determination, the security of its people
2) de-occupation of NK territories by Azerbaijan
3)safe and dignified return of the displaced population of NK to their homes
4) preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories falling under the control of Azerbaijan

• An immediate and unconditional exchange of prisoners of war and hostages is required on the principle of “all for all”, the return of the bodies of the dead
• Only a negotiated political settlement that respects the rights of all can bring peace and reconciliation to the South Caucasus region
• Turkey must abandon its destabilizing policies and refrain from any action that could increase tensions
• Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be achieved through negotiations co-chaired by the OSCE Minsk Group
• All foreign mercenaries brought into the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by Turkey and Azerbaijan must be completely withdrawn from the region.