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On February 24-25, the Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) began, and the member of the RA NA delegation to OSCE PA Sargis Khandanyan took part via distance format in its works. The MP gave a speech at the Meeting of the OSCE PA General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions and noted:

“Dear chair, dear colleagues,

As we all follow the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine I want to clearly state that the war is never a solution, that the war cannot resolve any conflict. Wars may last days or weeks but the human suffering caused by wars and the humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts lasts much longer, even forever.

It has been 15 months now since the trilateral statement of ceasefire was signed after 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh. It has been 15 months now that mothers, wives and children of dozens of Armenian servicemen and civilians are still waiting for their loved ones to come back home but Azerbaijan keeps them hostages. The Trilateral Statement was clear: the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons and bodies of the dead was to be carried out.

Armenia has fulfilled this commitment returning all captives right after the war. Moreover, Armenia handed over all landmine maps to prevent further destruction in the region. In contrast, the regime in Azerbaijan has turned Armenian prisoners of war into a bargaining chip and exploits the issue for tradeoffs and manipulations. The statements by the President of Azerbaijan qualifying the Armenian prisoners of war as terrorists is a clear manifestation of politicization of a purely humanitarian issue.

Moreover, Azerbaijan refuses the implementation of the interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights and conceals the real number of the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians still held in Azerbaijan and places of detention.

Another example of grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions is the numerous cases of torture and inhuman treatment of POWs and hostages. In its report Human Rights Watch described the humiliating treatment and torture of Armenian captives by Azerbaijan as a war crime.

Dear colleagues, this assembly should pay particular attention to violations of international humanitarian law and the humanitarian consequences of wars and the use of force in the OSCE region.”