On September 20, a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council was convened at the initiative of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the OSCE, Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. Permanent Representative of Armenia to the OSCE, Ambassador Armen Papikyan delivered remarks entitled "The large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh".
In his remarks, Armen Papikyan particularly noted that on September 19, the armed forces of Azerbaijan unleashed another large-scale, military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh in blatant violation of international law and the provisions of 9 November, 2020 Trilateral Statement on the cessation of hostilities.
Armen Papikyan presented the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of another large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan. He particularly noted that the armed forces of Azerbaijan deliberately shelled the capital city Stepanakert and other peaceful settlements with heavy artillery, aviation and combat UAVs, as well as targeted civil infrastructures, which led to casualties and injuries among the civilian population.
The Ambassador stressed that Azerbaijan pursues one goal - to subject the population of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing through the use of force, to deprive the people of Nagorno-Karabakh of their right to live freely and in dignity in their own homeland. Armen Papikyan emphasized that the 10 month long illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and using starvation as a method of warfare is an integral part of the systematic policy of ethnic cleansing pursued by Azerbaijan.
Armen Papikyan emphasized the imperative of the international community's immediate and targeted intervention and the introduction of international mechanisms to ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Ambassador expressed appreciation to those international partners who unequivocally condemned the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, adding at the same time that statements are no longer enough and it is necessary to take active steps against Azerbaijan, including targeted sanctions.
Armen Papikyan called on the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the Secretariat to monitor the developments and consistently employ all the tools at the disposal of the OSCE.
