04 December 2025 16:51

Vienna, 4 December 2025

Mme. Chairperson,

Distinguished Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I thank H.E. Ms. Elina Valtonen, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, for chairing the organization during the year and wish Minister Ignazio Cassis of Switzerland a successful chairmanship next year. I also thank the Austrian side for hosting us today in Vienna.

The Ministerial Council is again being held under the shadow of continued security crisis in the OSCE area. While the 50th anniversary of the Final Act would have been an occasion for celebration, unfortunately, it is not. Rather, it is a reminder of a profound need for drawing lessons from past mistakes and galvanizing collective will to re-commit ourselves to the letter and spirit of the Final Act.

Therefore, we highlight the continued validity of the principles enshrined therein, in particular respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of the borders of States.

Our own painful experience underscores that they should be applied equally, consistently and without any selectivity or double standards.

Distinguished Ministers,

Since the last December, significant progress has been achieved in the post-conflict normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which culminated in the historic Washington Peace Summit on August 8.

The Summit resulted in the adoption of a Joint Declaration of Azerbaijan’s and Armenian leaders, signed as a witness by President Trump of the United States. The parties confirmed that the conflict remained in the past, which is not and will not be subject to any attempt of revision, and they now embark on building good-neighborly relations based on this reality.

As a part of the Summit, I and my Armenian colleague initialed the draft agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations in the presence of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the United States following the conclusion of bilateral negotiations in March this year.

We also signed a joint appeal on the closure of the Minsk Process and related structures as a sign of mutual recognition that the structures once established to address the consequences of the conflict between our two countries are no longer needed in view of its settlement in 2020. I thank the Finnish Chairmanship, OSCE Secretary General, OSCE Secretariat and all participating States for the prompt adoption of the relevant Ministerial Council decision.

As a result, peace has, de facto, been established. In otherwise volatile OSCE region, Azerbaijan and Armenia are experiencing the most peaceful and stable period. Both sides move forward in implementing tangible measures in different dimensions at the governmental, parliamentary, and civil society levels.

To further the momentum for peace, Azerbaijan, as a good will gesture, has unilaterally lifted restrictions on transit of goods to Armenia.

These achievements vividly demonstrate that direct bilateral negotiations are the best way for moving forward, as has been consistently advocated for by Azerbaijan over the years.

Azerbaijan, as the initiator of the peace agenda, remains committed to this path, and expects reciprocal political will and responsibility on the part of Armenia.

In this context, we emphasize the crucial importance of good faith and timely implementation of all commitments for finalization of the normalization process.

The removal by Armenia of territorial claims still embedded in its Constitution will enable the signing and subsequent ratification of the initialed bilateral agreement, and to achieve peace that is irreversible.

In the meantime, timely realization of the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) is of utmost importance. This multi-modal connectivity route shall encompass railroad, highway and other communications and must ensure unimpeded connectivity between main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with reciprocal connectivity benefits for Armenia. As was stated time and again, the importance of the opening of communications is not limited only to making peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan sustainable, but entails significant benefits at much greater scale.

Distinguished Colleagues,

Azerbaijan is a firm supporter of effective multilateralism, which is confirmed in practice through our active and result-oriented chairmanships in the Non-Aligned Movement, COP-29, Organization of the Turkic States, CICA and other platforms, as a true bridge-builder and staunch promoter of consensus-based approaches. Our recent full-fledged membership in the Consultative Meeting of Heads of States of Central Asia will further strengthen our capacity to contribute to multilateralism.

Based on its principled and pragmatic foreign policy, Azerbaijan is also committed to constructive engagement within the OSCE.

Despite all the shortcomings, we continue to believe in the role of the OSCE due to its comprehensive security concept and broad membership. But to remain relevant, the Organization must adapt and deliver tangible results.

Only cooperative solutions can produce results. The consensus principle must always remain a fundamental feature of our collective efforts and a cornerstone of the decision-making process.

With this understanding, we remain open for constructive engagement with all OSCE Participating States in overcoming the challenges to OSCE’s functionality and efficiency.

Thank you.