Honourable Mr Prime Minister,
Distinguished Mrs Chair,
Dear delegates, guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I welcome you in the capital of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan. It is greatest honour for the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to host the Autumn Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. I express my gratitude for accepting our invitation to host the Autumn Meeting in Yerevan.
The slogan of this year’s OSCE Presidency completely underlines the value to which everyone’s attention should be stared. That is: “This is about people.” Sadly, the OSCE whole region continues being shaken by conflicts, and millions of people suffer because of war and humanitarian crises, and the theme of the discussion and the dispute of this Parliamentary Assembly is, really very important: What is our role in these days of crisis? And how are we going to respond to the inner and external challenges?
Dear colleagues,
Unfortunately, the South Caucasus also, already for decades and especially in the last years, faces serious security challenges, and Armenia, as a responsible member of the international community, and a player of this region, tries to find the solution, which will give an opportunity to the countries of our region to peacefully coexist and save the people living here from sufferings. One of the most important components of that solution is democracy.
After 2018 velvet, non-violent popular revolution the democratic reforms and the perception of democratic values have become irreversible in our country. Armenia confidently walks in that direction with the perception that the democracy is also the most important guarantee for security. This process is rather complicated, but we have implemented large scale reforms to strengthen the democratic institutes and values. Among those reforms the combating corruption is of key importance, which will be one of the main themes for discussion at this Autumn Meeting. We are resolute to overcome all the obstacles and barriers and to continue the path to democratization of Armenia.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Unfortunately, the democracy in our region is extremely vulnerable by external challenges, and I would like to use this opportunity once again to draw your attention to security threats and the situation in the South Caucasus region. In the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vancouver Declaration of 2023, you, dear colleagues, very distinctly and definitely confirmed your position that the peace in our region has no alternative, but after the adoption of the Declaration the security situation in our region has deteriorated.
More than 100.000 Armenians were forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh during one week because of large scale attack and ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh on September 19 of this year.
A number of my colleagues and me have alarmed for a long time the international community that the perspective of ethnic cleansing policy of Azerbaijan becomes more and more realistic after the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor in December 2022. However, the international community did not take adequate measures, and we have what we have today.
It is very painful for me to record this only at several metres’ distance from the Memorial Complex perpetuating the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, when instead of re-evaluating the history of our people and survived ordeals and look forward, we are forced facing almost the same repetition of history in the 21st century. I hope that the humanitarian problems of the Armenians forcibly displaced to Armenia from Nagorno Karabakh also will become a matter of discussion in this Assembly.
Dear colleagues,
We do not give in to difficulties, and the Republic of Armenia has adopted an agenda for peace, proposing all the countries of the region to normalize the relations and to cooperate.
The Government of Armenia has received a mandate from its people to bring peace and make possible the era of peaceful coexistence. That is why Armenia is involved in the negotiations of peace with Azerbaijan in a constructive way, and it’s irrelevant to say that the aspiration of peace is not a one-sided process.
After all the difficulties through which the peoples of the South Caucasus have passed through them in recent decades, today there is a historical opportunity to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenia is also sincerely concerned about the normalisation of relations with Turkey and opening the borders and communications, and without preconditions has been involved in the negotiations. I am hopeful that these negotiations will give desirable results in the visible future.
Our region needs peace, and the vision of the Republic of Armenia is expressed in a best way in the project bearing the name Crossroads of peace, which should be expressed in the following way: all the countries of the region live with open borders, roads and infrastructures, they are connected with active economic, political, cultural ties, have accumulated experience and tradition to resolve all the issues with the tools of diplomacy and dialogue. We have hope for support not only from the regional countries, but also from the international colleagues and community, in order to genuinely make the South Caucasus region crossroads of peace.
Dear guests,
Let me once again welcome you in our country. I wish you effective Meeting. I am sure that during these days in this hall and outside the walls you will have pleasant contacts and interesting discussions, which will stem from the interests of all the citizens of our countries.
Thank you.
