Yerevan /Mediamax/. On February 21, the UN Security Council held Open Debate on Conflicts in Europe, initiated by Ukraine, the chairing country of the Security Council.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the term “frozen conflict” is misleading, observing that until peace agreements are signed and implemented, the risk of renewed violence remains, as we saw in Nagorno-Karabakh in April, 2016.

“The United Nations fully supports the efforts of the OSCE’s Minsk Group and urges the parties to the conflict to de-escalate tensions and fully implement agreed conflict prevention measures. I urge all concerned to show greater political will, not only to strengthen the ceasefire regime and implement previous commitments, but to renew a sustainable and comprehensive negotiation process,” said UN Secretary General.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stated that the United States remained committed to the Minsk Group Process on Nagorno-Karabakh, and called upon Armenia and Azerbaijan to implement the ceasefire agreement and resume negotiations. And UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft said that peace settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh remains “elusive” due to a high level of mistrust.

Armenian Ambassador to the UN Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted in his statement that conflicts that had emerged in Europe are the result not only of geopolitical processes or religious, ethnic and territorial disputes, but also of denying peoples’ right to freedom and self-determination. He reminded that in the 1990s the newly independent Azerbaijan started ethnic cleansing and a war against Armenians.

Zohrab Mnatsakanyan urged Azerbaijan to demonstrate genuine political will in advancing the peace process on the basis of the principles put forward by France, Russia and the United States.  Armenian Ambassador also expressed deep appreciation to the Security Council and the Secretary-General for supporting their efforts, which represented the only internationally agreed negotiating format for a peaceful resolution of the NK conflict.

Armenian representative noted that while Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum, offering the people a chance to express their will on constitutional reforms, the top news in Azerbaijan was the Presidential decree appointing the First Lady as First Vice-President of that country. “There were different perceptions of democracy,” he concluded.