“We condemn and reject the statement of October 6, 2023, on behalf of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani with regard to allegations against Azerbaijan,” said Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry as it commented on the statement by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani on the latest situation in the region.

“This statement is in clear violation of the mandate of the Chairmanship including under the OSCE’s Porto Ministerial Council Decision No. 8, where the Chairpersonship is tasked to ensure that its actions are not inconsistent with the positions agreed by all the OSCE Participating States.

Against the background of Organization’s decades-long unacceptable negligence to the serious violations of its principles and commitments by Armenia, such a position based on one-side and biased narrative cannot be considered credible. Exploitation of the OSCE, its Chairmanship and other executive structures for this purpose, is also detrimental for efforts for finding solutions to problems that the OSCE as an organization currently faces.

Azerbaijan reminds that the OSCE had a chance to be part of the solution in our region for many years, which it failed to deliver because of the destructive position of Armenia and conciliatory stance by certain involved players.

Despite consistent calls of Azerbaijan in line with existing set of OSCE commitments, the Organization has for decades been prevented to deliver its mandate on ensuring that Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored, and the rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons to return to their homes. Our appeals for the OSCE to play a positive role in the post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, including de-mining have been ignored, as well.

References by the OSCE CiO on so-called independent international observation mission are peculiar, given the failure by this Organization over the past almost three decades to effectively utilize its own structures established to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and to remove the consequences of Armenia’s occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan.

We would also like to remind that all the principles, including non-use of force principle as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act were directly violated by Armenia and it was always a legitimate right of Azerbaijan within the scope of the UN Charter and norms and principles of international law to end the occupation of its territories both diplomatically and militarily.

Moreover, we cannot but remind that any mechanisms related to the protection of rights and freedoms of persons belonging to national minorities strictly prohibit the instrumentalization of national minorities for undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. Therefore, we strongly call all sides to strictly abide by this obligation and refrain from any attempt for interfering with internal affairs of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan once again reaffirms its determination for peace in the region and reintegration of the Armenian residents of its Garabagh region as equal citizens in line with its Constitution and relevant international commitments,” the ministry added.