In parallel to launching large-scale military operations, Azerbaijan pursues another goal as well. An attempt has been made to declare that the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements have ceased their effect.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, who is in Finland on an official visit, noted the aforementioned during his address Monday at Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki.

“These trilateral ceasefire agreements signed by Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia have no time limitations,” Nalbandian continued. “Moreover the July 1994 agreement on the reinforcement of ceasefire requires the sides to “maintain the ceasefire regime until signing of the big political agreement”. These agreements have been continuously supported by appropriate decisions and statements of OSCE.

“The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have already expressed their position to Azerbaijan, underlining again and again that the 1994 and 1995 agreements, whose terms do not expire, as before, make up the foundation of the cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone. The Co-Chairs called on to strictly adhere to the above-mentioned agreements and not to permit their violation.

“The adventurism of Azerbaijan has immensely harmed the negotiations and has been seriously impeding the peace process. Today our efforts, together with the Co-Chairs, are aimed at overcoming of the consequences created due to the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan. Without tangible consolidation of ceasefire regime the negotiation process will become hostage to Azerbaijani blackmailing. In that context the international community, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as the OSCE Chairmanship have emphasized that it is necessary to have the mechanism of investigation of ceasefire violations. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have always welcomed these proposals.

“Azerbaijan not only rejects its implementation, but on the highest level publicly assesses the ceasefire consolidation measures as a ‘strange and ridiculous proposal.’ In fact there are leaders in the 21st century who can consider measures aimed at preventing the loss of human lives as something strange and ridiculous. This displays the genuine attitude of the authorities in Baku towards human lives, including their own citizens.

“The other proposal of which is being continuously undermined is about enhancing the capacities and the team of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office, which Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have supported, but about which, again, Baku not only does not want to hear at all, but is doing everything to reduce their capacities having in mind to ban their activities, as it was done with the OSCE office in Baku. Moreover, Baku started to block the OSCE monitors from conducting of observation missions on the Line of Contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The essence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, about which I started my talk, was and remains the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to freely and securely determine their future.”