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.