The Committee for the Defense of the Fundamental Rights of the People of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has expressed deep concern over the August 8 trilateral meetings in Washington and the documents signed or pre-signed by the parties.
The committee warned that no genuine peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be achieved without justice and the full restoration of the Artsakh people’s rights, condemned the appeal to terminate the OSCE Minsk Group’s mandate, criticized the omission of the right of return and the release of Armenian hostages from the agenda, and cautioned that disregarding these issues would amount to appeasement that rewards aggression and leads to future conflict.
The statement released on August 10 runs as follows:
“We particularly regret the signing of an appeal to terminate the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group, which intends unilaterally and unjustifiably the dismantling of an internationally recognized framework for addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We call on the OSCE to resist this action. Equally alarming is the omission of any reference to the inalienable right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to return to their ancestral homeland, the protection of their property, and the failure to address the urgent matter of Armenian hostages still unlawfully held in Baku.
The Committee reaffirms its determination to pursue these fundamental issues—especially the right of return—which is firmly anchored in the binding decision of the International Court of Justice, relevant United Nations conventions, European parliamentary resolutions, and the Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh.
We stress that no genuine peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be achieved without justice for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Any agreement that disregards their rights, erases their history, or sacrifices their future is not a peace agreement, but an act of appeasement that rewards aggression and [is a] source of future conflict.”
