“Rather than contributing to the achievement of the above-mentioned goals and building trust and confidence in the region, refusal to cooperate with Azerbaijan and choosing to send this purported ‘needs assessment’ unilaterally with apparent pre-determined objectives and outcomes will have the opposite effect,” says the statement released on behalf of the Delegation of Azerbaijan to the OSCE during the budget discussions of the organization for 2023 in the OSCE Permanent Council.
“It is noteworthy that such a unilateral visit was announced after the latest high-level meeting, which took place on 6 October in Prague, where the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration. Azerbaijan did not object to the civilian EU mission on the territory of Armenia along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan as an additional confidence-building measure. What we observe now is deviation from the agreements reached in Prague. The OSCE is a common asset of all 57 participating States. We will not tolerate blatant violation and disregard of the OSCE documents and decisions and will resist attempts to erode the remaining cooperative spirit within this Organisation. This unilateral action raises questions about the objectives and programs in support of achieving these objectives as presented in the draft Unified Budget Proposal for 2023. Until the current situation is rectified and compliance with the OSCE documents and decisions is restored, the Delegation of Azerbaijan will not be in a position to consider the Budget Proposal, including the Post Tables and the resource costs required. The Delegation of Azerbaijan reserves its right to come back to this issue when it deems it appropriate.”