First Ombudswoman of Armenia Larisa Alaverdyan has addressed the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group with the following letter:
“Dear Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Your joint statement and the speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation allows me to come to the conclusion that, in spite of the overriding norm of the UN Charter (ban on the use of force for settlement of any conflict), you fully neglect the aggressive hostilities of Azerbaijan and Turkey which show signs of crimes against international law, including the involvement of mercenaries of banned terrorist groups, murders of peaceful civilians exclusively on the ethnic ground, destruction of their shelters and the civilian objects for living, the use of banned types of weapons and more.
Azerbaijan is demonstratively violating the humanitarian ceasefire with the clear purpose of forcefully pressuring the people of Artsakh who are under the real threat of genocide and are fighting for their right to independence.
Brutal force and contempt against international norms are against your longstanding efforts to settle the conflict through peaceful means.
Your inconsistency is equal to the promotion of peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes that are being perpetrated in front of your eyes.
You surely know that Azerbaijan, as an ipso-facto state that was established in accordance with international norms and which does not even maintain a temporary ceasefire, will not fulfill any provision of an agreement on ensuring of security of the population of Artsakh, and this rules out cohabitation within the composition and boundaries of a former Soviet republic.
Besides, you know that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has developed in the territories, the last international legal status of which was defined as disputed by the League of Nations. In such cases, 21st century international law and practice provide for the application of the concept of Remedial Recognition.
I call on you to bring Azerbaijan and Turkey to justice before making decisions within the scope of the principles that have been announced, and only after that you can discuss the safety of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, taking into consideration the legal norms and the real political conditions and circumstances.
All other approaches will turn you into an accomplice to the continuation of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Turkey (Turkey never accepted its guilt for the annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-23) and its comrade-in-arms Azerbaijan.
With respect and with the hope for reason,
Larisa Alaverdyan
First Human Rights Defender of Armenia”
