ArmInfo.Australian Foreign Minister Maris Payne reaffirmed the support of the Australian Government of Australia for the OSCE Minsk Group format for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stressing the principle of equality and self-determination of the people as one of the three fundamental principles for the final resolution of the conflict after the bloody war of 2020.
As reported by the Armenian National Committee of Australia, in response to a letter from the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) and the Armenian community, Minister Payne welcomed the cessation of hostilities in the conflict zone as a result of the agreement, while emphasizing the need for both sides to comply with the Helsinki Final Act, which calls for respect for the principles of the non-use of force, territorial integrity, equal rights and self-determination. Payne also called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to achieve peace in the region.
The main body of the Armenian community in Australia welcomed the position of the Australian government, calling it a step in the right direction. “It is important for the Armenian community that the OSCE Minsk Group - with all three co-chairing countries Russia, France and the United States - plays a leading role in the negotiations to establish peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, and it is critically important that the right to self-determination exercised by the indigenous Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh, was respected during this process, "said ANC-AU executive director Haig Kayserian, adding that this should start with the return of all prisoners of war and civilians that Azerbaijan continues to detain and torture. He also pointed out the need to replace the occupying Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh with peacekeepers before Aliyev (President of Azerbaijan - ed.) Gets the opportunity to complete the deliberate destruction of ancient indigenous Armenian cultural and religious monuments in these occupied territories. The organization also recalled that more than 3,000 Australians recently signed a petition urging Australia to recognize the Republic of Artsakh as the only way to ensure the safety of the region's most vulnerable, indigenous Armenians.