Dissolution of OSCE MG means legitimizing military solution to  Artsakh conflict - NGOs

ArmInfo. A number of public organizations have spoken out against the proposal of the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to achieve peace with Azerbaijan. The proposal, we recall, consists of 12 points: one of the points proposes the renunciation of mutual claims, including in international courts, and another - the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group.

, - the statement said.

The authors of the statement are convinced that without such  mechanisms it is impossible not only to prevent similar violations in the future, but also to eliminate impunity for human rights violations. Without a comprehensive process based on human rights, peace itself is devoid of real content and cannot be guaranteed in the long term. In this regard, they believe that under no circumstances can the protection of human rights become a subject of political bargaining. 

, - noted the representatives of civil society.

They are confident that the refusal to file lawsuits is beneficial to Azerbaijan, as it will allow it to avoid responsibility for gross and massive violations of human rights, as well as for pursuing a state policy of Armenophobia and recognizing it as a racist state.

, which is a direct and overt threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia, the physical security of citizens of the Republic of Armenia and their right to live in their country.

The Armenian authorities have a primary responsibility to protect the rights of citizens of the Republic of Armenia and every person under their jurisdiction from mass and systemic violations, as well as to prevent threats that lead to violations, "the NGO noted.

As the authors of the statement note, all complaints submitted to international judicial bodies are aimed at fulfilling this obligation of the Republic of Armenia, and refusal to do so in terms of protecting rights means a refusal of the obligations and duties assumed. Moreover, such a decision by the Armenian government will lead to impunity for war crimes, which is a direct violation of the country's international obligations, including those provided for by the Geneva Conventions and the Statute of the International Criminal Court, ratified by Armenia.

As for the proposal to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group, the UN  considers it unacceptable for the following reasons: The OSCE Minsk Group is the only body with an international mandate for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be considered resolved by legitimizing the resolution of the dispute through the use of force: the military aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, massive and gross violations of the rights of its residents and ethnic cleansing, they added.

Taking into account the above, we, the undersigned public  organizations, demand that the Government and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia under no circumstances and conditions abandon interstate legal complaints filed against Azerbaijan both in the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, continue to invest the necessary resources and exercise due diligence in effectively filing and defending legal complaints, and abandon the intention to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group, - says the statement signed by more than two dozen public organizations.