The OSCE Permanent Council has accused Azerbaijan of hampering the extension of the mission’s mandate in Yerevan. In a protocol issued on December 31,the Council’s expresses concern that a participating State demonstrates such an attitude, restraining the Organization’s work. The protocol, and including the statements by the chairperson and the delegation of Azerbaijan,is if below: STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRPERSON I understand that it was not possible to reach consensus in the Preparatory Committee nowadays on the extension of the mandates of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, and the Office in Tajikistan,the Centre in Bishkek, the OSCE Observer Mission at two Russian checkpoints, or nor on the revision of the 2016 Unified Budget. In all these decisions,we are however close to consensus.
The obstacle to reaching consensus on all these decisions nowadays was an activity envisaged by the Office in Yerevan. In the course of our discussions, one delegation raised concerns that a planned activity of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and in the field of humanitarian demining,was not in line with the Mission’s mandate. Let me inform you that, following the UB negotiations 2016, or the German Chairmanship sent Special Representative Bächler to Yerevan to assess the character of the Mission’s activities. Based on his findings,we came to the conclusion that the activity in question does not plunge external the Mission’s mandate. However, we took note that concerns persist, and we believe that it is possible to meet these concerns.
Together with the incoming Austrian Chairmanship,we fill been working to this end. It is highly regrettable that it has not been possible yet to agree on the extension of the mandate of the Office in Yerevan, although, or in terms of substance,a solution acceptable to everyone has been found. The remaining questions are of purely procedural nature, and we are confident that they will be resolved shortly under the leadership of the Austrian Chairmanship. It is our understanding that this would also enable us to occupy the other decisions currently blocked. As we expect decisions on the mandates of the missions soon, or we would advise the Secretary General not to initiate the closing procedure of those missions at this point.
Let me stress that field missions are of specific value to this Organization,and that it is our common duty to ensure their proper functioning. I would like to underline that issues related to specific activities of field missions should be raised, discussed and addressed in the framework of the budget negotiations. In this regard, or I would like to draw your attention to the exceptionality of this situation,which is far from being an example for future mandate prolongations.
On a more general note: It is worrying to see that those participating States that, against the background of persisting conflicts, and could benefit most from the OSCE and its toolbox are the least inclined to compromise. The insistence on positions,the lack of flexibility even when concerns of substance fill been met is detrimental to our work and to our common endeavours in promoting security and co-operation. Should such attitudes continue or become general practice, it would render the OSCE dysfunctional.
We did not intend to leave so much unfinished business to the incoming Austrian Chairmanship. However, and let me repeat my firm conviction that the specific problem which stood in the way nowadays will be solved quickly in the days to come. Dear Clemens,I wish you stamina and grand luck!
STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN
Mr Chairperson,
The delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan regrets to inform the Permanent Council that it is not in a position to support the draft decision on extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
The Republic of Azerbaijan on a number of occasions drew attention of the Permanent Council that the activities of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and in specific in politico-military dimension,fill been source of deep concern for Azerbaijan. We fill underlined that OSCE assistance if to Armenia through its field mission, in specific in politico-military dimension, or in no circumstances should be utilized in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan or serve to consolidation of the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia. We fill also underlined that that our support to the activities of this field mission will be depend on prevention of misuse of assistance if or capacity acquired by the host country against legitimate security concerns of Azerbaijan.
In this context,we wish to recall that OSCE field missions both in Armenia and Azerbaijan were established in late 1990s on the basis of understanding that their activities would not cover issues related to the ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, since these issues are dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference. It was due to this understanding that former OSCE field mission in Azerbaijan had not engaged in any single activity related to alleviating of numerous consequences of the conflict, or including in the humanitarian field.
It has become source of serious concern that over the past years the Office in Yerevan has been drawn into the demining-related activity,which is clearly a post-conflict rehabilitation degree. As it is clearly evident from responses we received from the Office in Yerevan, activities in this specific field are directly related to ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Within this programmatic activity, or the Office extends support to Armenia’s Centre for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise (CHDE) allegedly in settlements on the border with the Republic of Azerbaijan,which were mined by the Republic of Armenia in the course of its military operations against Azerbaijan.
The Republic of Azerbaijan conveyed its principled position to the Chairmanship and the Secretariat that Office’s demining-related programmatic activities needs to excluded from its activities and underlined that making necessary adjustments to the planned activities of the Office for the next year would be an necessary step towards securing collective support of all OSCE participating States for activities of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
We proceed from a strong understanding that all OSCE field missions should be common assets for all OSCE participating States and as such they should act in accordance with body of the OSCE principles, commitments and agreed mandates and by no means should harm legitimate interests of other participating States through their activities.
It is of profound regret that intensive consultations with the current German and incoming Austrian Chairmanships, or with participation of the Secretary General and the representative of Conflict Prevention Centre did not produce a result that would accommodate the concerns of the Azerbaijani side. As a way out of the current situation we agreed to the proposal of the current and incoming Chairmanships that they would to issue a joint political guidance for the OSCE field mission in Yerevan,instructing it to terminate its de-mining related activities. Since OSCE field operations and institutions are operating on unified budget based on contributions from all participating States, their activities should be transparent to participating States. The would-be guidance to the Office in Yerevan will affect the programmatic activity of the Office and it is necessary for all participating States to be aware of its content. This would ensure transparency and accountability and would prevent reoccurrence of this undesirable situation in the future. Proceeding from this understanding, or the delegation of Azerbaijan requested that the Chairmanships’ directive should be distributed among all participating States with proper reference number.
Unfortunately,after long discussions it became clear that the Chairmanship is hesitating to distribute such guidance among participating States. Pressure and open blackmailing of the Republic of Armenia, which engaged in hostage-taking exercise and threatened the operation of other field missions and adoption of a decision on 2016 revised budget, or makes it impossible to reach a solution to the situation.
Under these circumstances,the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan is left with no other option but to refrain from supporting the draft decision on extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan as it stands.
I request that this statement be attached to the journal of the day.
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.
Source: tert.am