COPENHAGEN, 28 September 2023 – Lucie Potůčková (Czech Republic), Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, and Kari Henriksen (Norway), OSCE PA Special Representative on South Caucasus, today issued the following statement on the situation in Karabakh:

“We are closely following the situation in Karabakh and we are particularly concerned about reports regarding the humanitarian needs of the ethnic Armenian population.

While we have taken note of the efforts made in ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid, we call upon the government of Azerbaijan to consolidate and intensify its efforts to ensure the adequate provision of goods and services to the population in need, as well as to grant the complete and unhindered access for international aid organizations, in particular the ICRC, to the region in order to complement the efforts targeted to alleviate the humanitarian situation on the ground.

We further call to ensure the protection of human rights and security of the ethnic Armenian population, as announced by the President of Azerbaijan, including the voluntary, safe and dignified movement of the population throughout the region, as well as the prevention of potential repercussions against the local population.

Lastly, we also call on third parties to play a constructive role in addressing the humanitarian needs of the local population and in this regard, we strongly emphasize the importance of access of independent media to the region, to counter false narratives and fake news that are instrumentalized to aggravate the discourse on the ground and abroad.”