Artsakh Parliament appeals to OSCE member states regarding  return of  internally displaced persons to Nagorno-Karabakh

ArmInfo. The National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh appealed to OSCE member states regarding  the return of internally displaced persons to Nagorno-  Karabakh. The statement specifically states: 

" On behalf of the 150,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, men, women  and children forcibly displaced from their ancestral homeland, we  appeal to you with deep alarm and concern regarding the recent  unilateral request by Armenia and Azerbaijan to terminate the OSCE  Minsk Group mandate.  For decades, the Minsk Group has been the only  internationally mandated platform for the peaceful resolution of the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. To dissolve this mechanism without  consulting the elected representatives of the people for whom it was  created is to ignore our voice and deny our role in the process.

We respectfully call on all OSCE participating States to exercise  their powers, including the right of veto if necessary, to prevent  the dissolution of the Minsk Group until solid guarantees are in  place to ensure the safe and dignified return of the displaced  Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.  This right is enshrined in  Article 13(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article  12(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,  and was reaffirmed by the decision of the International Court of  Justice of 17 November 2023.  Any alternative arrangement must ensure  the following fundamental principles:  -Ensuring the right of safe  and dignified return of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.   -Restoration of dialogue and negotiation channels, such as those  implemented by the Minsk Group.  -Full involvement of our  representatives in any discussions that determine our future.  The  conflict cannot be considered resolved as long as an entire people  remains uprooted, deprived of their inalienable rights.

The dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group contradicts both the Minsk  Group mandate, approved on March 23, 1995, and the Document of the  1994 OSCE Budapest Summit.  Our displacement was neither voluntary  nor accidental: it was the result of siege, famine, and military  attack, actions that have not been adequately addressed by the  international community to this day.  Despite these deprivations, we  reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a peaceful, negotiated  settlement that will ensure security, self-determination, and  coexistence. Removing the last vestige of international engagement  without a credible and inclusive alternative will entrench injustice  and make peace more elusive.

Any decision to legitimize the consequences of the ethnic cleansing  carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno- Karabakh and thus consider the  conflict resolved will leave an indelible and bloody mark on the  history, authority, and principle of the OSCE.  We call on you to act  in accordance with the OSCE's founding principles and obligations  under international law. We remain ready to cooperate constructively  with the OSCE and participating States to find a just and sustainable  solution and ensure the safe, peaceful, and dignified return of our  people to their homeland. Our future and our survival depend on your  actions today." .