The statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries was another “yellow card” to Azerbaijan, given by the international community, Secretary of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Eduard Sharmazanov told NEWS.am.

According to him, stressing the non-use of force, the international community, in the name of the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, actually warned Azerbaijan to refrain from belligerence, as the threats to resume hostilities are voiced from Baku. “The statement proved the peaceful settlement to the Karabakh conflict has no alternative,” Sharmazanov noted.

He also placed emphasis on the fact that the authors of the statement reiterated that separate points articulated by Presidents Medvedev, Sarkozy, and Obama on July 10, 2009 at L’Aquila and repeated at Muskoka on June 26, 2010, must be a basis for any fair and lasting settlement to the conflict. “It is Azerbaijan that tries to separate the elements from the Presidents’ statement, and the statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is in essence addressed to Azerbaijan.”

He also stressed the statement focuses the three principles contained in the Helsinki Final Act, particularly those related to refraining from threat or use of force, territorial integrity of states, and equal rights and self determination of peoples.

“The world gave Azerbaijan to understand that the statement on the priority of territorial integrity principle over two others makes no sense,” he noted.

“There is also an important point. The authors of the statement refer to the ceasefire agreement of 1994, which was also signed by Stepanakert. Thus, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries want to show they recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as a party to the negotiations,” Sharmazanov concluded.