Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde have issued a statement on Tuesday.

In particular, the statement notes that Armenia and the Armenian people have always and sincerely delivered a message of peace. As a nation that survived the first genocide of the 20th century, Armenians know the value of peace and security. Armenia has been in favor of an exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) issue at all phases of the conflict. Today, too, Armenia is fully aware of the opportunities that peace and real reconciliation can bring to the region; but peace is not just a nice word.

Peace based on the destruction of peaceful settlements in Artsakh—including the Hadrut region, the extermination of the Armenian population, and the creation of Azerbaijani settlements in their stead cannot be stable and lasting. Armenia will continue to fight for a just and dignified peace by working closely with its international partners.