Artsakh MFA: By organizing visits to the occupied territories of NKR,  Azerbaijan is trying to consolidate the results of the 44-day  aggressive war 

ArmInfo.We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the organization on July 10, 2021 by the Azerbaijani authorities of the visit of staffers of foreign  diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan to the occupied  territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the city of  Sh®ushi. This is stated in the statement of the Artsakh Foreign  Ministry.

As the press service of the Artsakh MFA reports, by such actions,  Azerbaijan is trying to consolidate the results of the aggressive war  it unleashed on September 27, 2020 with the participation of Turkey  and militants from international terrorist and extremist  organizations against the Republic of Artsakh. 

We emphasize once again that the current situation is the result of  illegal actions of Azerbaijan, which has grossly violated fundamental  principles of international law, such as the non-use of force or the  threat of force, the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for  human rights and fundamental freedoms, equality and the right of  peoples to decide their fate and the implementation of international  obligations in good faith.

Azerbaijan's attempts to legitimize the current illegal state of  affairs also means justifying the unleashing of an aggressive war,  cooperation with international terrorists, violations of  international humanitarian law and war crimes. In this regard, it is  regrettable that foreign diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan have  succumbed to Baku's manipulative actions, which are not only aimed at  preventing the resumption of the process of a comprehensive  settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict, but also undermine  the foundations of international relations, laying the basis for  recognizing the results of illegal actions as an acceptable norm. 

No territorial acquisitions resulting from the threat or use of force  should be recognized as legitimate.  We reiterate that the  territories of the Republic of Artsakh, including the city of  Shoushi, captured by Azerbaijan with the support of Turkey and  international terrorists during the 44-day war, are temporarily  occupied territories in accordance with the norms of international  law. The city of Shoushi is an integral part of Artsakh both in  territorial, cultural, economic and historical aspects. Any attempt  to reject it is a gross violation of the territorial integrity of the  Republic of Artsakh.

The restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of  Artsakh and the acquisition of international legal personality by  Artsakh are indispensable conditions for achieving a comprehensive  settlement of the conflict and establishing lasting peace in the  region. We call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states to take all  necessary steps aimed at resuming the negotiation process with a view  to a final settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict.

To recall, at the end of last week the visit of foreign ambassadors  accredited in Azerbaijan to the Armenian Shushi occupied by  Azerbaijan took place. The ambassadors of 46 states, including those  friendly to Armenia, accepted the invitation of the Azerbaijani  authorities to visit the occupied Armenian city. The ambassadors of  the OSCE Minsk Group co- chairing countries - Russia, France and the  United States - did not take part in the trip. This caused a negative  reaction from Baku.

Such visits have already been assessed negatively in Stepanakert.By  the conviction of Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan,  such  visits to the occupied territories in the conditions of the  unresolved conflict, are not only unacceptable from the moral and  ethical point of view, but also testify to the encouragement of the  aggression of the Azerbaijani-Turkish tandem.

For the time being, Yerevan keeps a deaf silence in connection with  these actions of Baku and foreign diplomats.  It is noteworthy that  throughout the entire period of the existence of the Karabakh  conflict, foreign diplomats refrained from such visits. However, this  time they not only visited Shushi with great zeal, but also shared  their impressions, forgetting that the conflict is not over, and such  actions cannot lead to anything good, except censure.