Karabakh activists outraged by dissolution of OSCE Minsk Group

The dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, created to resolve the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, undermines the authority of the organization and leaves the issue of the rights of the Armenian residents of the region unresolved, Karabakh activists said.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that all institutions associated with the OSCE Minsk Group, by decision of the OSCE Ministerial Council are being closed starting today. All previously adopted decisions within the group regarding the former Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict are no longer in force.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry today confirmed the information about the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group and related structures. 80 Karabakh public organizations united in the Union "Unity for Artsakh" in a joint statement addressed to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office protested against this decision.

The Minsk Group co-chairs had a mandate to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict through negotiations, but such a settlement did not take place, the authors of the statement indicated.

"Only such a settlement - based on the principles of international law and the protection of human rights - can serve as a legal basis for completing the work of the Minsk process and its structures. The initialed agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is now being presented as a resolution to the conflict, was the result of the illegal use of force by Azerbaijan," the text of the appeal says.

The authors of the letter emphasize that "the Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, and the issue of the rights of forcibly displaced persons remains unresolved."

"The dissolution of these structures by the Council of Ministers will not only be a serious violation of the OSCE procedural rules, but will also be seen in practice as legitimization of the ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh (the self-name of Nagorno-Karabakh). Such a step will undermine the authority of the Organization, create the risk of a deep institutional crisis and call into question the stability of the OSCE itself,” the document says.

The text of the appeal in English with a list of signatories was sent to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and all member states of the organization, noted the representative of the Union “Unity for Artsakh” Yuri Karamyan.

Members of the Nagorno-Karabakh parliament, in turn, stated the need “to prevent the dissolution of the Minsk Group until reliable guarantees for the safe and dignified return” of the Armenian population to the region are provided. They emphasized that “the conflict cannot be considered resolved if an entire people was forcibly deprived of their historical homeland and inalienable rights,” and formally declaring it resolved under such conditions “will leave an indelible and bloody mark on the history, authority and principles of the OSCE.”

The Central Council of the Hay Dat (Armenian Court) organization, commenting on the dissolution of the Minsk Group, stated that "the OSCE legitimizes the use of force as a means of resolving disputes."

"Hay Dat" called on the OSCE and the entire international community "to remain committed to human rights and their humanitarian missions, as well as to take effective steps to protect the rights of forcibly displaced Armenians, release prisoners and preserve cultural heritage."

"Only through consistent, impartial and principled interaction can the rights of the people of Artsakh be ensured and a real and lasting peace in the South Caucasus be made possible," the organization said in a statement sent to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

A public figure from Nagorno-Karabakh, Gagik Avanesyan, noted that with the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, interested European countries "are losing channels for presence in the South Caucasus." “The absence of the Minsk Group increases the threats to Armenia’s security and integrity,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

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