VILNIUS.- Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian addressed on Tuesday the participants of the OSCE Ministerial Council held in Vilnius. Armenian News-NEWS.am posts the full text.

“Mr. Chairman,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Chairman-in-Office, Minister Audronius Ažubalis and his team for the contribution to the activities of the Organization throughout the past year and to thank for hospitality and excellent organization of this Ministerial meeting.

The Astana Summit of 2010 reaffirmed the principles and outlined the main directions which should guide the Organization during the years ahead. The Vilnius Ministerial meeting is a good opportunity to reflect on our joint efforts aimed at revitalizing and strengthening the effectiveness of the Organization which has an important role in ensuring the comprehensive, equal and indivisible security throughout the OSCE area.

Mr. Chairman,

The issues related to energy and transport - the main topics of this year’s economic and environmental dimension - are deeply intertwined and dependant on cooperation which itself contributes to security and stability. In this respect it is important to note that the realisation of various projects should not result in the creation of more favourable conditions for those countries, where that capital is used to undermine regional stability.

The arms control and confidence and security building measures are among the priorities of the OSCE. We welcome the adoption by the Forum for Security Cooperation of the decision on reissuing the Vienna Document. Armenia was among the first to emphasize the importance of revisiting the OSCE aquis to ensure their relevance to the modern security environment. Still there is substantive work ahead aimed at increasing transparency and predictability in the military field and thus contributing to the overall security and stability.

It is regrettable, that the current political-military landscape is marked by non-compliance and violation of the arms control regime. Azerbaijan continues destabilizing drastic increase of military budget and accumulation of offensive military capabilities in violation of its international obligations and in defiance of common security goals combined with war rhetoric and in breach of one of the OSCE basic principles – the principle of non-use of force or threat of force.

Such a militaristic posture is fuelled up by anti-Armenian hate propaganda and xenophobia. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its 2011 report on Azerbaijan noted with deep concern the “constant and negative official and media discourse concerning the Republic of Armenia” and recommended the Azerbaijani authorities to “adopt an appropriate response to all cases of discrimination and hate speech against Armenians”. Responsive nature of our organization entails proper assessment and adequate reaction to this behavior.We reaffirmed in Astana that increased efforts should be made to resolve existing conflicts in the OSCE area in a peaceful and negotiated manner within agreed formats. In this respect we appreciate the contribution of the Lithuanian Chairmanship to the valuable efforts of the Minsk Group Co-chairs on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.

Mr. Chairman,

Together with the international community Armenia had positive expectations from the Kazan summit of June 2011, initiated by President Medvedev in his capacity as President of a Co-Chair country, with the full support of other two Co-Chair countries, Presidents Obama and Sarkozy. Unfortunately, that summit did not achieve a breakthrough, because Azerbaijan was not ready to accept the document, proposed by the Co-Chair countries in Kazan, as it did not accept in Sochi in March 2011, in Asrtakhan in October, 2010, and in June 2010 in Saint Petersburg.

Azerbaijan also continues to create obstacles for the implementation of the Agreement reached in March 2011 by the Presidents of the Russian Federation, Armenia and Azerbaijan on the mechanism of investigation of the incidents along the line of contact, thus bearing responsibility for the cease-fire violations and there victims. Azerbaijan has repeatedly rejected the calls of the UN Secretary General, the Chairmanships-in-Office of the OSCE and the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group to withdraw snipers from the line of contact, to consolidate the cease-fire to which Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh responded positively.

The position of Armenia on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict coincides with the stance of international community reflected in particular in the statements of the OSCE Ministerial Councils in Helsinki and Athens, and statements made in the margins of the OSCE Ministerial meeting in Almaty and at the Astana Summit, as well as statements of the Presidents of the Minsk Group Co-chair countries in L’Aquila, Muskoka and Deauville.

Regardless of Azerbaijan’s unconstructive behavior, Armenia will continue to exert efforts towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue exclusively through peaceful means.

Mr. Chairman,

The comprehensive reforms strategy that has been developed in Armenia has an objective to further enhance and ensure the continuity of the reforms aimed at consolidation of democratic structures, promotion of the rule of law, improvement of electoral legislation, protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, improving business environment, strengthening the independence and transparency of judicial processes, the role of the civil society.

The Armenian authorities are determined to hold the upcoming elections in accordance with the highest international standards.

Mr. Chairman,

We still have a way ahead of us to achieve the goals declared in Astana. In this regard, we fully support the incoming Irish Chairmanship-in-Office and wish it every success and to assure our distinguished Irish colleague that he can count on Armenia’s support in the implementation of Chairmanship’s agenda.”