Unbalanced Declaration Of OSCE PA Raises Some Questions

• 07.11.2015, 16:23
• Anna Karapetyan
•  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  Armenia,  NKR,  Analytics

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly during its annual session adopted a declaration that has some references to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which, however, are not so objective and they raise many questions.

The declaration uses such phrase as "the conflict in Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories)", it also speaks about  "the inalienable right of the population of the Republic of Azerbaijan displaced as a result of conflict to return to their homes", also the importance of negotiated resolution of the conflict "based on the norms and principles of international law, in particular those relating to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States concerned."

This wording is unacceptable and astonishing for an organization, which holds the mediation of Karabakh conflict settlement in the face of OSCE Minks Group. Logically, the documents of the OSCE should be balanced and neutral in respect with all the sides of the conflict.

But this situation really differs from what it should be. In the declarations of the OSCE Minsk Group and all other officials of the OSCE, the equality of all three Helsinki principals – non-use of force and threat of force, the right of nations of self-determinations and territorial integrity – have always been inderlined, but only one of these principles is mentioned in the document of OSCE PA as the most important.

As for the the rights of displaced people to return to their homes, parliamentarians of the OSCE should remember that as a result of Karabakh war, there are displaced people not only in Azerbaijan and there should be no discrimination in human rights protection.

With the examples of the OSCE and other international institutions, we have repeatedly seen that yielding to the blackmailing policy of Azerbaijan, the rhethoric of the latter has become tougher. Was this declaration of OSCE PA a result of closing the office of coordinator of the OSCE in Baku? In that case what should we wait from Azerbaijan in the near future and what threats we will have to face?

 All these, in their turn raise many questions and concerns.

Maybe with this declaration the OSCE wants to stress the non-viability of the OSCE Minsk Group and its proposals and principals?

And shouldn’t the National Assembly of Armenia officially respond to this document? In any case this document was adopted on parliamentary level and by an organization that includes 57 countries.