OSCE welcomes initiatives re-affirming non-use of force principle in Karabakh

YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. Any initiatives which would further reaffirm the non-use of force principle would be certainly welcomed, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for the South Caucasus Patrick Murphy said.

“Confidence- and security building measures, including a mechanism for investigating incidents on the line of contact, must also be put in place – this has been agreed by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. A mechanism of discussing issues at the level of local military leaders should also be developed, to discuss specific practical concerns and incidents on the ground that contribute to insecurity,” Murphy said at an online press conference on publicdialogues.info held by Research Centre “Region” (Armenia) and Institute for Peace and Democracy (Azerbaijan).

According to Murphy, cooperation with other international actors may contribute to keep the dialogue ongoing and to re-establish trust. Mass media, parliamentarians and civil society could play an extremely important role in this, he said.

Murphy stressed that the Helsinki Final Act, signed by both Armenia and Azerbaijan, already contains important provisions related 

to the non-use of force of the threat of force. “There is also a 1994 ceasefire agreement between the sides. Strictly respecting these commitments would already make a significant contribution to restoring security on the ground”, he said.

According to Murphy, the situation in the region is very serious as the tensions have grown lately, and the situation around Ramil Safarov, as well as the issue of opening of an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh added to the atmosphere of mistrust. 

“Military rhetoric is used increasingly often, and it is vital to do everything possible for it to not grow into violent actions followed by retaliatory measures. I am convinced that military action cannot solve the conflict,” Murphy said pointing out that he said it as Special Representative of the Irish Chairmanship in Office of the OSCE. 

“Ireland witnessed a bloody conflict for many years. It would have unforeseeable consequences and only deepen the conflict further and multiply the hardships that the people in the region are facing”, Murphy said.

Joint online press conferences of leading experts from various countries are held on pressing issues for Armenian and Azerbaijani mass media under a project to expand Armenians’ and Azerbaijanis’ knowledge about each other and establish mutual trust through first-hand information. The project received support from British embassies in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal from 

Azerbaijan. On December 10, 1991, a referendum was held in Nagorno-Karabakh where 99.89% voted for independence from Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also over seven adjoining areas. About 25-30 thousands people were killed and about a million had to leave their homes during the military operations.

A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has been followed since then.

The ongoing Karabakh peace process started in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group. -0-