OSCE Statement on Nagorno-Karabakh
Rome [ENA] Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan. It is the subject of a not resolved dispute between Azerbaijan, in which it lies, and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by neighbouring Armenia. The clash over Nagorno-Karabakh arose in 1988 when the region, mainly populated by Armenians, attempted to find independence from Azerbaijan and made a public declaration to join Armenia. The conflict
escalated into a full-scale war in the early 1990s. The conflict concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region is really a conflict between two principles: territorial integrity and self-determination. On the one hand, the borders of Azerbaijan were internationally recognized when the country was recognized as independent state in 1991. The territory under jurisdiction of Azerbaijan comprised the Nagorno-Karabakh region. On the other hand, the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh continue to claim the right of self-determination. In 1991, the so called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was founded. Azerbaijan tried to obtain possession again over the territory. The landlocked region declared independence in 1992, and the conflict escalated into
a full-scale war in which around 30,000 people were killed. Heavy fighting erupted 02 April 2016 between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the tense separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian Defense Ministry called it the most serious escalation of fighting in the conflict since a 1994 truce. Azerbaijan announced a unilateral cease-fire 03 April 2016 in the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh after clashes with Armenian forces left 30 soldiers dead and both sides reported more fighting overnight.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) have taken note today 31 March 2020 of the so-called “general elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh, the first round of which has taken place . In the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Co-Chairs recognize the role of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh in deciding its future in agreement with the principles and elements restated in the Co-Chairs’ declaration of 9 March 2019.
The Co-Chairs noted, nevertheless , that Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized as an independent and sovereign state by any of the Co-Chair countries or any other country. Consequently, the Co-Chairs did not accept the results of these “elections” as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh and highlighted that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the negotiations still in progress which want to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.