Azerbaijan urges OSCE against interfering in domestic affairs

We strongly condemn and reject the October 6 statement by OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani. This statement contains biased accusations against Azerbaijan.

“Bujar Osmani’s words directly contradict the mandate of the OSCE Chairmanship, including Resolution No. 8 of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Porto, which requires that the Chairmanship operate in accordance with the positions agreed upon by all OSCE member states,” the Foreign Ministry says in a comment, Caliber.Az reports.

“This position of the OSCE, which for decades has neglected Armenia’s violation of the principles and obligations of this organization, is one-sided and biased. Misuse of the OSCE, its Chairmanship and other structures for such purposes is detrimental to efforts to resolve the problems that the organization is currently facing.

“Despite Azerbaijan’s regular calls to comply with OSCE commitments, for decades there has been obstacles to the implementation of this organization’s mandate to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and the rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani internally displaced persons. Our calls for the OSCE to play a positive role in post-conflict reconstruction efforts, including mine clearance processes, were also ignored.

“All principles, including the principle of non-use of force, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, were violated by Armenia. Azerbaijan has always had the legitimate right to end the occupation of its territory both diplomatically and militarily.

“In addition, we would like to remind you that any mechanism related to the protection of the rights and freedoms of persons belonging to ethnic minorities prohibits their use as a tool for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. In this regard, we call on all parties to strictly observe this commitment and refrain from attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry noted.